A few days are left for the closing of the bids for the world’s second biggest iron ore reserve in Afghanistan. An Indian consortium comprising seven public and private sector companies is jointly participating in the bidding for Hajigak iron ore deposits located in Bamiyan province. The last date of bidding is 4th of September 2011. The Iron industry in the world is facing acute shortage of iron ore due increase in the demand of iron and steal as well as shortage in supply of good quality iron ore.AIR Kabul correspondent reports if the Indian consortium led by the public sector Steel Authority of India (SAIL) gets the mining rights it will help mitigate the problem of the short supply of raw material for the steel and sponge iron plants in India.The hajigak iron ore deposits are located in the Bamiyan region of central Afghanistan, famous for its 6th century rock-carved Budhha statues. Unlike most other parts of Afghanistan, facing insurgency problem, Bamiyan is comparatively a peaceful region. The mine fields are about 130 KMs west of Kabul and the geologists say they contain the second largest deposits of high grade iron ore in the world.According to the estimates the Hajigak minefields contain around 1.8 billion tons of magnetite with 62-63 percent of iron content. If the Indian consortium gets the mining rights it will be the start of a new chapter in the history of Indian mining industry.