MAYEM: The Mines Department which has just received a High Court order to stay the transportation of ore from Mayem has far bigger questions to tackle. The mining transportation petitions have thrown up a serious doubt as to whether the iron ore transportation of e-auctioned is of just that or dumps which have been passed off as iron ore and sold at throwaway prices at a loss to the State, but interestingly as a benefit to the original leaseholder where the ore was purportedly mined.
What is obviously apparent to the two associations on behalf of villagers and farmers of Mayem, who have gone to court, is that the owners of dumps – the people of the State – were shortchanged during the auction, and largesse accrued from public resources went to private parties.
They stated that the Goa Mines Department (DMG) has illegally entered the mining dump, located outside the leases of the Chowgule company, (Lease TC Nos. 5/49 & 13/49) into the list of ores for e-auction as mandated by the Supreme Court’s judgment of 21.4.2014. However, this dump has never been part of the ores that were directed to be confiscated by the Supreme Court in its orders. The Supreme Court had mandated that only confiscated ore (mines between 2007 and 2012) should be out up for e-auction.
The story then turns interesting. Here’s how
As per the petition, on May 27, 2018, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar stated on the floor of the Assembly that the remaining ore left in leases after the e-auctions were conducted, till then.
With specific reference to the two leases in Mayem, which is the focus of the current writ petition regarding illegal transportation the then CM stated only 617 MT of lumps were declared left behind on leases with TC Nos. 5/49 & 13/49.
Now, look at how 617 metric tonnes became 2.22 lakh metric tonnes. Sheer magic
Here’s the shocker. In 2019, the Mines Department announced the e[1]auction of an additional 2,22,766 MT of mineral ore from the two leases. The additional ore clearly came from the dump outside the mining leases and dump mining and transportation and export of dumps is not permitted by the Supreme Court orders.
Out of this, in August 2019, 1,61,450 MT of mineral ore were e-auctioned during the 22nd e-auction.
In August 2020, or thereabouts 61,316 MT of ores of the remaining was e auctioned.
So 617 MT became 2,22 lakh MT and even that was e-auctioned. Now even a child would know that when all ore is auctioned the remaining ore there would be zero.
But that wasn’t the case, as per the petition. In 2021, the DMG once again announced the e-auction of another 1,00,000 MT of mineral ores from the same location. Of this 25 MT was e auctioned.
THE BIG ASK: Then CM Parrikar said only 617 MT of ore remained in TC Nos. 5/49 & 13/49. How did that become 2.22 lakh and then mysteriously have another 1. 0 lakh metric tonnes?
This is a significant gap between the minerals on the lease as declared by the Goa government and the ore that is being e-auctioned by the Mines Department. This is manipulation and loot of the highest order where the real custodian of Goa’s ore, the common Goan is cheated.
