Panaji: Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday assured that the mining will resume in the state within next six months after auctioning of the leases.
Responding to a question on the floor of the House raised by Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai, Sawant said that the auctioning process will be finished within next five months. “Within six months, the mining will resume in the state,” he said.
Sawant told the House that 88 Iron Ore mining leases would be taken up for auctioning. “Those leases which are operating under one EC (Environment Clearance) would be considered as single block for the purpose of auctioning,” the chief minister said.
Sawant said that within 15 days, the ECs would be transferred to the new lease holder (who will win the auctioning bid). “According to the MMDR Act, the ECs would be for a period of two years and after that the lease holder will have to renew it (EC),” he said.
In what seems to be a relief for small mine owners, the chief minister said that one lease holder will not be able to mine over more than ten square kilometers of the area. “This means a person can take maximum three leases (to cover 10 square kms of area),” he said.
He said that the small leases can be taken over by the local mine owners.
