Cabinet expected to meet again on March 15 to clear proposal
PANAJI
The State Cabinet on Monday deferred a decision to amend the Goa Dump Handling Policy 2023 to allow e-auction of the ore lying on private lands. The cabinet is expected to meet again on March 15 to clear the proposal.
As per the existing policy, notified in September 2023, those inventorized dumps situated on private properties, outside the lease area and depicted on mining plan, the erstwhile leaseholder are allowed to handle, within five years from the date the policy is notified, provided if the conversion fees are paid under the Goa Land Revenue Code.
However, the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) has now proposed e-auction route even for those dumps lying on private land and accordingly to refund or compensate the conversion fees to the erstwhile leaseholder, if paid.
“The amendment to the dump policy was placed in the cabinet; but the decision was deferred as the Chief Minister wanted some clarity. Cabinet is likely to meet on March 15 to clear the amendment,” sources said.
The ‘Policy for Regulating Iron Ore Dump Handling in the State of Goa’, allows State to transport 25 million tons of dumps annually. State has around 700 million tons of low-grade iron ore lying inside and outside the mining leases. The DMG has also decided to handle the dumps lying in the forest areas.
The existing policy has got provisions with respect to all dumps situated on private properties outside the lease area and whether depicted on the mining plan or not. If conversion fees and the fine contemplated under provisions of the Goa Land Revenue Code have not been paid by the erstwhile leaseholders, the dumps shall be auctioned by the State.
It has also said that all dumps not approved or shown in the mining plan sanctioned by the IBM shall be deemed to be illegal and neither the leaseholder nor any other person shall have any right to them and that such dumps would be auctioned by the government.
