PANJIM: Following directions from the High Court of Bombay at Goa, the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) has ordered stoppage of iron ore transportation from TC No 95/52 in Pissurlem village.
The DMG also said that the analysis report of the sample material, collected from the site, has also been received and the same would be placed before the High Court.
The High Court, in an interim order passed on April 12 in a petition filed by NGO Goa Foundation, has restrained the transportation of any materials from TC No 95/52, while directing the respondents to ensure that this restraint is enforced and there is no transportation of any material from the locations.
The Court had also sought to know the position from the State government about holding of e-auction without ascertaining and declaring the grade of the ore to be auctioned.
When contacted, sources in DMG said that a temporary stay has been ordered on transportation of ore from the lease in Pissulrem as directed by the Court.
Sources also said that a grade analysis report of ore has been received and the same would be placed before the Court. “At time of e-auction, we fixed the base price, considering the grade of ore as 50Fe to 59Fe content; but as per the analysis it is 42Fe,” sources said.
The issue at Pissurlem has arisen due to permits given by the DMG to two companies to transport three lakh tonnes of iron ore from a mining dump located on the mining lease.
“Mining lease TC No.95/52 was granted an environment clearance in the year 2007. However, no extraction of ore was actually carried out on the said lease. There have been no mining pits for the last 40 years. So from where the ore has come from. This is a scam,” activist Hanumanth Parab said.
Parab said that the mining lease is one of the biggest examples of illegal mining, exposed by the Justice Shah commission. “In the name of mining extraction, they are transporting the ore dump. This is a nexus between politicians and mining companies,” he said.
Meanwhile, the petitioner pointed out that dump mining is explicitly prohibited by orders of the Supreme Court dated 21.4.2014 till further orders. The petitioner alleged that in order to bypass the prohibition, the DMG brought this dump of 3 lakh MT on the list of minerals to be e-auctioned in January 2022.
