PANJIM: In the second round of lease renewals three more mining leases belonging to Sesa Goa Ltd and Sociedade Timblo Irmaos Limitada Fomento will be renewed within a fortnight. The directorate had earlier this month issued renewal orders for 13 mining leases.
These three leases would be renewed under Section 8(3) of Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act, 1957. Sesa Goa Ltd’s two leases at Codli and one lease belonging to Sociedade Timblo Irmaos Limitada Fomento are part of those 28 leases that have paid the stamp duty for second renewal.
In the first lot, two leases of Fomento and one of Sesa Goa were renewed. With these the total number of mining leases renewed by the government touched 16.
Of the total 28 leases, five leases with total area of 480 hectares, originally belonging to Dempo Mining Corporation Limited and now owned by Sesa Goa will not be renewed for violating Rule 37 and transferring the leases without prior government consent.
These five leases are investigated for violation of Section 37 of MCR, as indicated by Justice M B Shah Commission and Supreme Court appointed central empowered committee (CEC). In 2009, Sesa Goa Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources acquired iron ore mining company Dempo Mining Corporation Private Limited in Rs 1,750 crore deal.
