PANJIM: While welcoming the Supreme Court order, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said that state will earn a revenue of around Rs 1,500 crore from e-auctioning of nearly 11.48 million tonnes (MT) of extracted iron ore lying unused in various jetties in the State.
Along with 11.48 MT, the State will also auction another 1.22 MT of confiscated ore, lying unaccounted outside certain lease areas, Parrikar told media persons Monday evening. Chief Minister said that Directorate of Mines and Geology has also issued statutory notices to several traders, on whose plots 2.68MT of ore was found lying.
“Traders have been asked to reply to prove the authenticity of the ore within 30 days, failing which it would be auctioned,” Parrikar said adding ‘if all this is taken into account, the State will have nearly 15.3MT (11.48 at jetties and 3.9 at leases) of ore ready for auction’.
Parrikar, who is also the Mines Minister, said that revenue of around Rs 10,000 crore could be generated from auctioning this total ore. “But this will include, royalty to Center, taxes and to those lease holders who prove their ownership on the ore…Over Rs 1500 crore will come to state exchequer,” he said.
“But before that the amount collected would be kept as fixed deposits till Supreme Court decides the matter,” he said adding, “the auctioning process might start within the next one month’.
The CM said that the order has come as a big relief to the mining-dependent people, especially barge and truck owners, who can now start their economic activity. “This is what we were pleading before Court all this time,” he said adding ‘revenue is an additional relief as State never went through financial deficit’.
Parrikar also said that in future the government will ensure iron ore extraction capacity of the State and will not allow roads to get congested. If required government will also auction the new mining leases, as per Supreme Court directions, he asserted.
