PANJIM: Goa Foundation that had challenged the second renewal of 88 iron ore mining leases by the Goa government before the Supreme Court, has sought cancelation of this renewal. The leases had been renewed under section 8(3) of the Mines and Minerals Development Regulation (MMDR) Act 1957.
When the matter came up for hearing before the Apex court on Thursday, GF, through lawyer Prashant Bhushan, told the court that Goa’s policy to renew leases did not conform to the law established by the Apex Court for optimally utilising natural resources. Bhushan contended that the State should have auctioned these mining leases instead of renewing them.
The State, however, defended its renewal process taking the Supreme Court’s final judgment in the illegal mining case dated April 21, 2014, stating that the court had allowed the ‘State to decide as a matter of policy in what manner mining leases are to be granted in future’.
Additional Solicitor General Atmaram Nadkarni appearing on behalf of Goa, justified that out of 351 applications of prospecting licenses only 88 have been granted. The next hearing will be held on Tuesday.
