Panaji: Breathing life back into Goa’s long-stalled mining sector, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the Assembly on Tuesday that 12 iron ore blocks have been e-auctioned by the state government, with three already commencing operations on the ground.
The issue was raised on the floor of the House by Congress MLA Altone D’Costa who sought to know when will the Iron Ore industry resume to its full strength in the state. The industry was shut down in 2012 after Supreme Court appointed M B Shah commission pointed out to large-scale illegalities in the sector.
Sawant told the House that 12 mining blocks have been e-auctioned of which three has commenced the work, while four more are in the process of getting clearances.
He said that the permissions are to be taken from the authorities including Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The chief minister said that the state has passed policy to e-auction the iron ore piles which are dumped across the state.
He said that from October, 2025 onwards, the mining of these dumps will begin. “We will also auction dumps which are located in the government lands,” Sawant said.
