Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Foundation (GF) on Thursday accused the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) of illegal conduct of e-auction of ore lying in dumps, by categorizing them as stacks. The NGO also alleged that ore transportation is not permitted from mining leases that were never put in operation nor from which no extraction has taken place.
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Addressing media persons, Goa Foundation Director Claude Alvares demanded an inquiry through a Special Investigating Team or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged theft of ore. He has sought an inquiry against officials of DMG, Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) and others.
GF has also challenged the State cabinet decision to allow extraction and transportation of iron ore from dumps before the High Court of Bombay at Goa. The matter is listed for hearing on April 7.
Alvares said that the case of illegal transport from Pissurlem, where the villagers are protesting, is, without doubt, a major scandal. In his letter to Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel, Alvares said that the issue in the village has arisen due to permits given by DMG to a company (2,95,000 MT) and another (5,000 MT) to transport three lakh tonnes of iron ore from a mining dump located on mining lease with TC No 95/52 in Pissurlem, Sattari, Goa.
“Mining lease TC No 95/52 was granted an environment clearance in the year 2007. However, despite EC and mining plan approvals, no extraction of ore was actually carried out on the said lease. Google Earth pictures from 2002 to 2021 do not indicate any signs of extractive mining on the lease. I have personally visited the said lease and verified this situation. There are no mining pits,” Alvares said in the letter.
Despite lease 95/52 never being operated, the leaseholder submitted false annual reports of extraction of ore and dumps to Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) and DMG and in 2015-16, suddenly declared a dump of 3 lakh MT, he said.
“Dump mining is explicitly prohibited by order of the Supreme Court dated 21.4.2014. It appears that in order to bypass this prohibition, the DMG brought this dump of 3 lakh MT on the list of minerals to be e- auctioned in January 2022,” he charged.
He said that a consignment of 2,95,000 MT was sold for a mere Rs 10 crore when the market value was Rs 91 crore.
Alvares said that in the case of Mayem transportation, the villagers have objected to the movement of transport from a dump outside a mining lease through the narrow and already degraded road that passes through their village. He said that almost 400 trucks are involved in ore transportation.
“Apparently here too, in order to bypass the Supreme Court orders, officials of the DMG and the mining company have worked out a deal to pass off the mining dump as part of e-auctionable ore,” he charged.
GF is hopeful that the new Chief Minister will look into these endless malpractices of the department and ensure that the concerned officials are shifted out.
