TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The State government will attach and auction mining dumps and is just waiting for a go-ahead from the Supreme Court to get into the act, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Assembly on Tuesday.
He added that he expected mining to commence by next season, and that the apex court matter should be resolved by May.
“Next season we should be able to start mining, it should be resolved by the Supreme Court by May,” Parrikar said.
Replying to the discussion on demands for grants, Parrikar said that dumps were lying on 2,800 hectares of land including government and forest land, and that they would be auctioned after the government attaches them.
“We are attaching them and will auction them. We are just waiting for the Supreme Court clearance, how soon we do not know,” Parrikar said.
The chief minister said he would collect Rs 300 crore of revenue from the owners of the dumps by asking them to pay a conversion fee, as well as rent to the government for those dumps which are on government land. If they did not pay up, dumps would be taken over, he said.
Parrikar also said that he would offer dump owners a one-time settlement to pay the fees which he is demanding, and if they do not, he would take over the dumps.
In addition, those leaseholders of old mines, which were not functioning under proper environmental clearances, would become government property.
With regard to the dumps located in the forest land, Parrikar said that that he would leave to the forest minister.
“The forest minister is capable of taking a decision on it,” Parrikar said.
He reassured the Opposition that the value of the dumps would not decrease but increase, owing to the worldwide shortage of ore, and because of that there was no hurry in moving the dumps.
Inspection nets 16,000 tonnes of fines
PANJIM: Monday’s Mines Department inspection at the premise netted some 16,000 tonnes of fines. The documents produced by the Karnataka-registered truck seized by the Valpoi police had named the unit at Pissurlem.
According to the police, the truck bears registration number KA-22 B-4829 and owned by one G S Puri, from Khanapur, was apparently transporting iron ore from Reddi in Maharashtra to Pissurlem when it was stopped enroute.
