TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Sesa Sterlite Ltd and V M Salgaocar have applied to the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), for renewal of consent to operate for ore loading facility at their seven jetties.
Directorate of Mines and Geology has already e-auctioned approximately 1.7 million metric tons of ore during last one month.
Sesa Sterlite Ltd has applied for reviving the consent of its five jetties-Surla, Kharnamol, Amona, Sarmanas and Sinori and Salgaoncar have applied for two jetties both located at Vagus.
In the first and second e-auction process, conducted on February 17 and March 5 respectively, DMG had offered 4.90 lakh ore lying at Vagus, Sarmanas and Amona jetties of which 4.87 lakh ore is already been sold out.
Total ore auctioned from the Amona jetty was 94,509, Vagus 1,92,850 and Sarmanas 1,30,395.
The ore was purchased by Sesa Sterlite, V M Salgaocar, Agarwal mining companies (Goa), Kineta Global (Andhra Pradesh), Sudar Industries Ltd and Royal line Resources Ltd (Maharashtra) and Bagadiya Ltd (Chhattisgarh).
Goa State Pollution Control Board Chairman Jose Manual Noronha confirming the receipt of applications from the mining companies said that the board officials would conduct inspection of jetties before granting consent to operate.
Noronha said that Goa State Pollution Control Board has already approved consent for handling or disposal of stocked iron ore after the e-auction process.
Following Supreme Court directions to suspend mining operations in the State, Goa State Pollution Control Board in December 2012 had refused to renew operating consent to 10 mining leases under Air and Water Act.
The consent to operate under these Acts had expired on July 31, 2012.
Meanwhile, Mines department confirmed that the winning bidders are yet to begin lifting of ore from the jetties even though as per the guidelines, auctioned ore has to be lifted within 30 days of the process.
“So far not a single company has begun to lift the ore nor have we received any challans for export,” assistant director mines Parag Nagarcekar confirmed.
