The Goa Government has set in motion the process to e-auction around 15 million tonnes of iron ore currently stacked at jetties, stockyards and beneficiation plants across the State’s mining belt.
Director of Mines and Geology Prasanna Acharya has issued the notification for e-auctioning, which is scheduled to take place next month.
The Supreme Court while hearing a petition in the Goa illegal mining case had allowed online auctioning of the ore, and money collected from the process would be deposited in a separate account till the case is disposed of.
The Department issued the notice yesterday inviting applications from prospective bidders to participate in e-auctioning of extracted ore in Goa.
According to estimates of the State Government, approximately 15 million tonnes of ore is lying unused at jetties, stockyards and beneficiation plants.
“At the jetties itself, 4.88 mt of ore is stacked, ready to be exported,” a senior department officer said.
He said of the 15 million tonnes of ore, 11.48 million tonnes is accounted for while the rest is apparently illegally extracted, which stands confiscated by the Government.
According to the notification, companies participating in the auctioning process should get themselves registered with the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM).