Team Herald
PANJIM: The Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) has said that iron ore dumps lying in the State cannot be put to use as the Supreme Court is yet to consider the Expert Committee’s recommendation allowing handling of such rejects. The dump handling has been banned since September, 2011.
In a public notice issued by the department, Mines director Prasanna Acharya has said that though the report submitted by the Apex Court constituted a six-member expert committee to decide on how to deal with the minerals lying as dumps, has allowed dump working, the same is yet to be considered by the Court.
“As such, the dump material cannot be touched till such issue is finally decided by the Supreme Court of India,” Acharya said.
The notice has been issued after the department came across complaints pertaining to people who fraudulently posing as owner of the ore dumps are collecting huge sums on assurance of sale of such ore or alleging need of regularization of such material.
Acharya said ownership of dumps always vests with Government, who is owner of all minerals found within the State. “Such ownership of minerals can only be transferred to lessee upon payment of royalty and other dues payable to the Government for legally extracted minerals and minerals extracted otherwise than legal means always vests with the State,” he clarified.
He further said even after regularisation of illegal conversion of agriculture land used for storage of dumps by imposing fines or penalties won’t make the owner or occupant of the land, the owner of dumps, as it still vests with government.
Revenue department under Land Revenue code 1968 has regularised illegal conversion of agricultural land having dumps.
DMG has warned to initiate civil or criminal action against all those involved in such illegal transactions that is illegal transfer of government property. “This warning is also given to those who are in the process of entering into any such transactions involving dump material belonging to the State Government,” the director said.
