Team Herald
PANJIM: The State government is in process to draft a Dump Mining policy to e-auction the iron ore rejects lying across the State.
The Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Monday held meeting with the officials of Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) to review various issues pertaining to the department.
Speaking to media persons post meeting, Sawant said that the assessment of dumps is currently ongoing and simultaneously policy is been formulated. He said dump profile study is been undertaken.
“Once the policy is finalized, only then we will be able to know the quantum of dumps and its e-auction process,” he said.
The Supreme Court, via an order dated December 13, 2022, allowed Goa to handle iron ore dumps – the activity that was banned since 2012.
As per government record based on the estimation done by the lease holders in 2010, there are 313 dumps in the State of varying size, with a total estimated quantity of 733.72 million tons. There are total of 139 mining dumps on Forest Land, of which 95 are in South Goa and 44 in North Goa, the quantity of which is almost 40 percent of the total iron ore dumps lying in the state.
Meanwhile, Sawant said that the department is in process of identifying iron ore blocks for e-auction in the third phase. He also said that the department is directed to simplify process for grant of EC and Sanad for stone quarrying.
