PANAJI: Some mines in Goa whose leases are set to expire in March 2020 are likely to get an extension of three years. If reports appearing in national media on Tuesday are to be believed, the central government is considering extending the validity of key statutory approvals like environment and forestry clearances by three years in respect to mining leases across the country which will expire by March 31, 2020.
However of the 160 mines in Goa whose leases are set to expire in 2020, only a few are likely to be eligible for this extension, according to reports. Goa has the most number of mines whose leases will expire in 2020, followed by Karnataka (45) and Orissa (31). The operative mines set to lapse in March 2020 are made up mostly of iron ore mines.
Goa’s mining scenario is different from the rest of India as the Portuguese government had granted mining concessions, and not leases to the people of Goa, Daman and Diu through a mining concessions act. The abolition of the act in 1987 led to problems for the mining industry in Goa as the leases granted in 1987 were granted with retrospective effect, from the time of Goa’s liberation (1961), and not from 1987 itself.
However, those fighting for the resumption of mining in the state, notably the Goa Mining People’s Front (GMPF) argue that the leases cannot be granted with retrospective effect. Mining in the state stopped on February 7, 2018 - a year ago - after the Supreme Court, who passed a judgement saying that renewal of leases done in 2014-15 was illegally done. However, the SC had asked the state government to take the necessary steps to see that mining resumed at the earliest.
