With the State Budget for 2026–27 sched uled to be tabled on March 6, mining industry bodies have renewed their call for reviving the long-pending dedicated mining corridor project, saying it would streamline ore transporta tion and reduce pressure on village roads. In a pre-budget memo randum submitted to the Chief Minister, the Min eral Industry Chambers said the corridor would improve efficiency in the sector, which has only re cently resumed operations after years of disruption. The corridor proposal was originally conceptu alised in 2011 during the tenure of then Chief Min ister Digambar Kamat but failed to take off after min ing companies declined to finance the project. The subsequent two-year mining ban imposed in September 2012 further stalled the initiative.
As planned earlier, the project was to be imple mented in three phases: an 8.9-km stretch between Uguem and Guddemol, an 8.4-km link between Gud demol and Capxem, and a 32-km corridor connecting Cavrem to Uguem. Industry representatives said the sector requires greater policy stability and infrastructure sup port to remain viable. The memorandum urged the government to avoid addi tional levies, address taxa tion anomalies and double taxation, promote electric trucks through subsidies, introduce a vehicle scrap ping policy, and ensure faster operationalisation of mining leases once stat utory clearances are obtained.
