India’s top iron ore producing state Odisha will renew 18 iron ore mines licence which were shut since 2014.

In Odisha a panel of senior government officials has recommended the reopening of the mines that were closed in 2014 because of non-renewal of years-old leases, the state’s mining director Deepak Kumar Mohanty said.

“We expect to complete the renewal process in 10 days,” Mohanty said.

The panel has also recommended an extension of the lease period for eight separate mines that belongs to Tata Steel, Steel Authority of India and Odisha Mining corp.

In 2014 the Supreme Court had ordered the closure of about half of the 56 mines operating in Odisha as they were operating without a renewal of years old leases.