PANJIM: Nearly 2.37 million tonnes of iron ore will be up for e-auction in the 14th phase, which is expected to be held in the first week of December.
Of the 15 million tonnes of ore identified for e-auction, Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) has auctioned around eight million tonnes till date, bringing in revenue of over Rs 910 crore.
As per the notification issued by DMG on Thursday, 2.37 million tonnes of ore stacked at 39 places have been identified for this e-auction. The ore, lying at mining sites at Bicholim, Codli and Sanquelim, is of a low grade with Fe content ranging from 51 to 60.
As of now, of the total e-auctioned ore, only three million tonnes have been transported from the State, while the balance continues to remain at jetties and lease sites. As per Supreme Court directives, DMG has till now reimbursed Rs 95 crore, as extraction costs incurred by mining companies and traders, whose ore was e-auctioned.
As per the Supreme Court directives, the government has to contribute 10 percent of the auction amount to the Goan Iron Ore Permanent Fund. It has to also reimburse 50 percent of the wages and dearness allowance to the workers in the muster rolls of the mining leases who have not been paid wages during the period of suspension of mining operations.
