TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Supreme Court appointed monitoring committee is considering e-auction of the extracted iron ore lying unused in Goa on the lines of the Karnataka e-auction, wherein the ore may be allowed for use only for the domestic steel industrial consumption. The e-auction of the iron ore could begin from January.
The monitoring committee members Dr UV Singh, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka and Sheikh Naimuddin, Indian Revenue Services (retired), arrived in Goa on Saturday afternoon. The committee members held special meeting with the mines official including principal secretary (Mines) Parimal Rai, director Mines Prasanna Acharya and Assistant director Mines Parag Nagarcekar, this evening.
Emerging from the meeting, the members refused to speak to media.
A senior official confirmed that the committee is considering e-auction of the ore on the lines of Karnataka, where e-auction of minerals is happening since 2011 following the Supreme Court order. Singh was also member of the monitoring committee that conducted e-auction of ore in Karnataka.
“Monitoring committee has to consider various aspects, such as environmental issues. Additionally, it has to assess the quality and quantity of the ore, which will begin from Sunday. A maximum 15 days time will be required to carry out the verification and other related process,” an official disclosed.
“The actual e-auction might begin next month,” the official added. The committee members would be visiting Mormugao Port Trust and Sanvordem jetty on Sunday for re-verification of the ore. During the meeting, the committee has been informed that State has around 20 million tonnes of unused extracted iron ore.
The apex court, after banning mining in Goa, had allowed e-auction of stacked minerals under supervision of a monitoring committee. The official said that the lease-wise and grade-wise reserve price for iron will be fixed after taking into consideration the sale price obtained and fixed by the National Development Mineral Corporation.
“In Karnataka the e-auction material was not allowed to be exported but was sold for domestic consumption. Here too (Goa) the situation could be same,” the official said.
