Team Herald
PANJIM: Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) has disqualified a trader from participating in iron ore e-auctions, to be conducted by the department, after he failed to fulfil the financial commitments towards payments for the earlier bid lot of 30,000 metric tonnes of ore.
Shree Someshwar Traders, represented by Abhijit Shirodkar has been disqualified from participating in the future e-auction process through an order passed on May 17.
DMG Director Ameya Abhyankar said the trader had participated in the 15th e-auction held on April 27, 2016 and was declared to be successful bidder for 30,000 metric tonnes of ore, which he had bid from various lot. “However, he failed to fulfil the financial commitments towards payments for the said bid lot,” he said. Abhiyankar said various opportunities were given to the trader to make the payments so that the ownership of lot can be given to Shree Someshwar Traders. “However, they failed to do so till date,” he added.
As such, Shree Someshwar Traders and Abhijit Shirodkar are hereby disqualified from participating in e-auctions to be held in near future, the order stated.
The ore bid by the trader is now been declared free for further auction. The department has last year too, had disqualified a trader Sri Sri Paramhansa Yogananda Exports, on similar ground.
Of the total 15.5 million tonnes of ore identified for e-auction in 2014, only 11.1 million tonnes has been sold through 21 e-auctions held so far. The e-auction process that commenced in February 2014, following Supreme Court order, halted in April 2017, following poor response from the bidders.
The State government now intends to re-start the process, after a gap of over two years.
