WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: With ten companies bidding for four iron ore mining blocks in the State, NGO Goa Foundation (GF) on Tuesday sought to know whether the bidders have been involved in any sort of illegal mining in the past and whether they are to be entrusted with public resources. The NGO has also demanded public consultation on the government process to restart mining activities.
In a press statement issued, GF Research Director Rahul Basu has also questioned the government for failing to maintain transparency in the conduct of the iron ore mining auction process in the absence of any policy to govern the same.
The Foundation demanded that the details of the bidders should be made public to know whether the bidders fit the criteria. “ Public needs to know whether the bidders have been involved in illegal mining in the past and whether they are to be entrusted with public resources, which in the present instance belong to the citizens of the State,” Basu said.
“No mining should restart without total and complete transparency,” he added. Basu further said that the government needs to change its perception that it is not the owner of the ore and cannot dispense with these resources as it pleases, without public involvement.
The GF has demanded that there is a need for a proper Land Revenue Code/Land Acquisition Policy, Mining Policy, Forest Policy, Eco Sensitive Zone policy, Dump Policy, Mineral Auction Policy, and other requisite policies for mining control in the State before going for auction.
“As of today, there is no policy in the public domain. Nor is any policy discernable - while the Goa Mineral Development Corporation has been set up, the e-auction of old mining leases has also commenced. The Goa Government appears to have forgotten that it has withdrawn the Grant of Mining Leases Policy by a gazette notification in 2016,” Basu added.
He said that the Goa Foundation is seriously concerned about the opaque manner in which the procedures for the restart of mining are taking place. “The Supreme Court judgment in WP 435 of 2012 (Goa Foundation I) directed the State Government may grant mining leases of iron ore and other ores in Goa in accordance with its policy decision and in accordance with MMDR Act and the Rules made thereunder in consonance with the constitutional provisions,”
he recalled.
Basu said that GF has written a number of letters to the Central and State governments, but has not received any response. In its letter to Union Minister for Mines Pralhad Joshi in October, GF had requested Ministry not to take any decision and action in “haste or succumb to any pressure from any entity without a thorough study of the Goan mining scenario”.
The government has put up mining blocks- Mulgao, Sirigao-Mayem and Monte-de-Sirigao all in Bicholim taluka and Kalay mine in Sanguem for auction for which a total of 28 bids from ten companies have received. The technical evaluation of the same is under process. These mines were previously operated by mining firms like M/s Narvekar, M/s Rajaram Bandekar, M/s Chowgule & Co Pvt Ltd, and Sesa Mining Corporation.
