Panaji: The Goa government plans to auction another eight to nine iron ore mineral blocks by December this year, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday.
He warned mining firms that have failed to operationalise blocks won through bidding that show-cause notices would be issued to them.
Addressing a press conference ahead of the National Conference on Mining, scheduled to be held in Goa on Thursday and Friday, Sawant said the state had auctioned 17 mineral blocks so far, of which six had become fully operational.
Union Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy will attend the national conference, he said.
The Chief Minister said another eight to nine iron ore mining blocks would be put up for e-auction by December this year.
Sawant said a review meeting was held on Wednesday to assess the status of mining activities in the state, particularly the operational and auctioned mining blocks. The meeting was attended by State Chief Secretary V. Candavelou, Director of Mines and Geology Narayan Gad, senior government officials and mining stakeholders.
“Out of the 17 mineral blocks auctioned, six have started operations. The remaining blocks are at various stages, with some awaiting environment and forest clearances. We have asked the respective agencies to fast-track these clearances,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the government had resolved various issues faced by the six operational blocks to ensure that mining activities could commence.
He said show-cause notices would be issued to companies that had won bids for mining blocks but failed to operationalise them.
“They should complete the paperwork as early as possible and start the work. The government will extend all possible assistance to complete the process so that mining operations can begin in these blocks,” Sawant said.
Appealing to people to cooperate with mining activities, he said the auctioning of leases involved complex procedures and the government was committed to ensuring that mining was carried out sustainably.
“Mining generates revenue for the state, creates employment and activates several allied activities. We are undertaking sustainable mining without affecting the environment,” he said.
The government would continue to review the progress of the auctioned blocks and facilitate their operationalisation, he added.
Goa’s mining crisis first erupted in September 2012, when the state government suspended all mining operations following the findings of the Justice M. B. Shah Commission, which investigated allegations of large-scale illegal mining of iron ore and manganese ore.
