PANAJI: The auction of four mining blocks and the nod for the auction of rejected ore will usher in a new era for Goa’s mining industry, said state governor S Sreedharan Pillai on Monday. Speaking on the first day of the winter session of the state legislative assembly, Pillai said that the Pramod Sawant government’s efforts to restart mining operations had paid off.“My government’s efforts to resume mining have finally borne fruits. I am happy to state that permission is given to auction the dumps or rejected ore which will initiate the process of starting full-fledged mining,” said Pillai. “A new era has begun for the mining sector in Goa”.Pillai said the resumption of mining operations was a major step to ensure employment for locals and end the hardship faced by the mining-dependent workers.Four iron ore mining blocks have been auctioned and the allotment orders have been issued. Three blocks in Bicholim and one in Sanguem taluka were auctioned off with the mining firms paying a premium of 63.55 per cent, 99.25 per cent, 111.28 per cent and 86.40 per cent for the ore.The auction process concluded on December 21 and all the successful bidders have made the upfront payment of 20% or Rs 43.19 crore each.
Panaji: The state will auction the rest of the mining leases within three months considering mining activities for the next 50 years, said chief minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday. The state will also formulate a policy to handle dumps on private and government land to start dump mining, he said.“We will complete the auctioning of mining blocks before March 31,” Sawant said. He also handed over the letters of intent to the successful bidders of the four recently auctioned iron ore blocks in Sankhali to operate for 50 years. He said that if the mining leases were renewed between 2007 and 2012, the existing companies would have been able to operate them for the next 25 years. “Because the leases were not renewed, the so-called environmentalists got the opportunity to approach the Supreme Court. There is a possibility that iron ore was extracted beyond the permissible limit, but the leases were not renewed by the previous government. The government is continuing the process. If my government had not auctioned the blocks then Goa would have faced its ill effects. Considering the next 50 years, I have auctioned mining leases,” the chief minister said, even as he urged the successful bidders not to do injustice to the earlier mining staff.Stating that the state government consistently followed up on the case for revival of the mining industry in the state, he said, “The revival shall provide employment opportunities in mining areas as well as boost the overall economy of the state. I am happy to hand over LOIs to the successful bidders namely, Vedanta Ltd, Salgaocar Shipping Pvt Ltd, Rajaram Bandekar (Sirigao) Mines Pvt Ltd and the Fomento Group,” Sawant said.Sawant said that the way the state government helped mining dependents after mining activities came to a halt is unprecedented in the country. The delay in conducting the auction, he said, was because he was trying to convince the Union government that the second renewal was valid and mining companies should be allowed to operate their leases. Director of mines and geology Suresh Shanbhogue said that all efforts would be made to start full scale mining activities in Goa. “We will float notice inviting tenders (NIT) at regular intervals. This month the second NIT will be floated. I urge successful bidders to approach the authorities for fresh approvals,” he said.
