Goa mines department for auction of illegally stored ore

PTI
PANAJI, JULY 4:
The Goa Mines and Geology Department has suggested that the State Mines Ministry confiscate and auction all the iron ore that is illegally stacked on various private lands across the State.

The department officials, who are in the process of formulating a new mining policy for Goa, have recommended that a checklist of all such plots across the State be prepared.

“Those who are operating without registration with the department should face severe action. It is recommended that the new mining policy will give the Government powers to confiscate the ore lying in those plots and auction it,” a senior official stated.

The new Goa Mineral (Prevention of Illegal Mining and Transportation and Storage) Rules, 2012, are being framed, the draft of which would be ready by mid-July, officials claimed.

They further said a recent investigation of the illegal transportation of ore revealed that there were several land plots in the State that illegally stacked the ore without the permission of the authorities.

The plots, he said, need to be registered with the Mining Department and also need to have no-objection certificates (NOC) from the Goa State Pollution Control Board, a State Government agency.

The new policy has also suggested that plots of less than 5,000 sq mt should not be allowed to be registered with the department.

“This will curb fly-by-night operators who create smaller plots without adhering to the rules,” the officials said.

Goa exported 43 million tonnes of iron ore in the last financial year, which was extracted from its 90-odd mines located in the iron ore rich talukas of the State.