Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar has exuded confidence that iron ore mining and exports in the State, which had virtually come to a grinding halt for nearly three years, would reach 20 million tonnes annual cap specified by the Supreme Court while allowing mining to be restarted.
Iron ore mining and exports were banned in Goa by the Supreme Court in October 2012 following a public interest litigation demanding action on Justice(retd) N. B. Shah Commission report which had indicted the private sector mining and exports in the State for major illegalities and irregularities causing huge loss to the State exchequer.
While the court had partially lifted the order in May 2013 by providing an annual cap for extraction and directing the State to regulate and monitor mining, mining took place in bits and pieces despite the State Government renewing nearly 88 iron ore leases.
Parsekar told presspersons that he had convened a meeting of the miners on Thursday where he had unequivocally told them that they will have to supplement the government in expanding and upgrading the infrastructure like mining corridor in south Goa’s mining belt to avert the traffic jam and accident hazards perennially faced by people due to transportation.
Despite their upbeat mood to restart mining, miners and exporters were slow on this front particularly in view of the prevailing meltdown in global prices of ore.
Secondly, he said that because the entire mining machinery, including transportation system, had virtually come to a standstill for the past three years, when only ore e-auctioned by the State Government was predominantly exported, it will need time to put the entire mechanism into gear.
Parsekar said that while the government is committed to the Supreme Court order to regulate and monitor mining activity and exports through various agencies, all the stakeholders will have to join hands to supplement government efforts.
In reply to another question, Parsekar said that if all the stakeholders come on board to resolve the problems related to mining and upgrading the infrastructure, the government would be willing to approach the Supreme Court in the near future to raise the annual cap from 20 million ones to 25-30 per annum.
A large number of stakeholders, including mining workers, truck-owners, barge owners, small hoteliers and businesses dependent on mining activity in the mining belt and major port areas of Mormugao, have faced sufferings over the last three years due to halt in mining and exports.
Goa used to export over 50 million tonnes of iron ore, predominantly low-grade years prior to the ban, particularly exploiting boom in the Chinese market.