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.
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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 continue 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.
Mining lease holders asked to collect
petition copies to file reply before SC
Stating
that the Supreme Court will not grant any further time for filing counter
affidavits after December 1, DMG has directed all 88 iron ore lease holders to
collect soft copies of the Writ Petition (WP) and Special leave Petition (SLPs)
filed by Goa Foundation, so as to submit replies.
Earlier
this week, the Apex Court had issued notices to the State Government and mining
lease holders based on the WP and SLPs, challenging the renewal of 88 mining
leases under Mines and Minerals Development Regulation (MMDR) Act 1957. The
petitioner GF was directed to provide copies of WP and SLPs to all the
respondents.
Accordingly,
GF submitted the copies, which have now been kept ready in a CD by DMG for
reference of lease holders. The lease holders are directed to collect the same
and submit their replies to the Apex Court by December 1. The final hearing in
the matter is scheduled on December 9.
