WITHIN LEGAL FRAMEWORK
* The question was, this benefit, of allowing the transportation of royalty paid ore, is only for the petitioners or for everybody who has royalty paid ore? Said Vijai Sardesai* We gave the go-ahead to carry forward with transportation. The government has full reports of whose ore, how much of it when it has been extracted and whether royalty is paid or not
* So we are prepared and we know what ore is being transported. So we know it is royalty paid ore. Let this also be clear that everything will be within the legal framework
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PANAJI: The Cabinet Advisory Committee met on Thursday to debate the outcome of the Supreme Court order which allowed the transport of ore lying at jetties and has decided that it will seek the opinion of the Advocate General on whether ‘royalty-paid ore’ lying at places other than jetties can also be exported.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, member of the Cabinet Advisory Committee Vijai Sardesai said that once the clarification arrives the CAC can take an appropriate decision.
“The issue is about royalty paid ore but which has not reached the jetty. It is in the stockyard or anywhere else. There are few interpretations of the judgements so we have taken legal advice,” Sardesai said.
He said following Supreme Court's order on Wednesday on the transport of ore the CAC took a decision that ore -- not just that belonging to those who approached the Supreme Court -- which has been 'royalty-paid' for and which is lying stocked at jetties will be allowed to be transported.
“The question was, this benefit, of allowing the transportation of royalty paid ore, is only for the petitioners or for everybody who has royalty paid ore? We gave the go-ahead to carry forward with transportation. The government has full reports of whose ore, how much of it when it has been extracted and whether royalty is paid or not. So we are prepared and we know what ore is being transported. So we know it is royalty paid ore. Let this also be clear that everything will be within the legal framework,” Sardesai said.
We are of the view that the iron ore which is royalty paid and which is lying on the jetties on or before 15th March 2018 should be permitted to be loaded on the barges and on the vessels so that they can be transported to their destinations,” the Supreme Court bench of Justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta ruled after a brief hearing on Wednesday.
“The State of Goa will ensure and confirm that only that iron ore is loaded which is royalty-paid and which is lying in the jetties on or before 15th March 2018. Insofar as the other issues are concerned, since the matter is already pending in the High Court, we do not propose to deal with them and leave it to the High Court to adjudicate,” the Supreme Court also said.
The matter will now be taken up before the High Court where the state government will file an affidavit stating that the issue is already clarified by the Supreme Court and that the High Court can continue with other issues raised by the petitioners Goa Foundation before the High Court.
The High Court will next hear the matter on April 11.
