Panaji: State govt has revised the e-auction policy for dumps in Goa to auction around 40 unclaimed
low-grade iron ore
dumps lying in private properties, for which conversion charges were not paid by the landowners. State govt expects to generate around Rs 500 crore in revenue from the auction of these dumps.
Chief minister Pramod Sawant
said state govt identified unclaimed dumps lying on private land for which conversion charges were not paid. “Thirty to 40 dumps have been identified. There are more unclaimed dumps in the state, and they will be identified,” Sawant said. “The auctioning of low-grade iron ore dumps will generate revenue between Rs 400 crore and Rs 500 crore.”
Sawant added, “The same dumps will be e-auctioned, and govt will get direct revenue. The successful bidder will have to pay a royalty to govt. This will generate revenue for the state.”
The CM said that once the dumps are auctioned and ore lifted, the lands would be free. “Govt will pay the minimum lease rent to landowners on whose lands the dumps were lying, and the rate will be decided by govt,” he said. “These dumps have not been claimed by anyone, and the landowners have not paid the conversion charges.” The
directorate of mines and geology
(DMG), through agencies, has started conducting a dump profile study to assess the quality and quantity of low-grade iron ore lying in the state.
The DMG received around 20 applications to handle iron ore dumps across the state. A senior officer said more companies will be given permission based on the dump profile study. The directorate has empanelled four agencies to conduct the dump profile study, including the quantity and quality assessment, on a pilot study basis of the low-grade iron ore in the state. The companies are Sai Universal Mining Services, Global Environmental and Mining Services, Minerals Lab Services Pvt Ltd, and Sinha Mining Consultancy.The Supreme Court allowed state govt to carry out dump mining activity in Goa in accordance with an expert committee’s report. Accordingly, the policy for regulating iron ore dump handling in Goa was notified on Sep 14, 2023.
The Dump Handling Policy, 2023, paved the way to deal with the 700 million tonnes of low-grade iron ore lying inside and outside mining leases across Goa and to export 25 million tonnes per annum. A senior officer said the dump handling policy has been challenged in court.
State govt granted permission to Chowgule and Company Pvt Ltd to handle 1.3 million tonnes of low-grade iron ore lying outside the mining leases at Shirgao. Chowgule is the first company to get approval to handle dumps outside lease areas.
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