PANAJI
With almost nine e-auctioned mineral blocks ready with all the requisite permissions, Union Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy on Thursday said that the full-fledged iron ore mining activities in the State will commence in next six months.
Reddy, however, maintained that the mining operations will be conducted adhering to the norms laid down by the Supreme Court and ensuring sustainable practices.
Reddy was in Goa to launch the nation’s first-ever auction of Exploration Licence, a roadshow on the 5th tranche of critical mineral blocks and AI Hackathon 2025, a mineral exploration hackathon focused on ‘Mineral Targeting using AI’.
Reddy along with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant held a meeting to review the works of the State Mines department. The meeting held detail discussion on auction plan for the potential mining blocks available in the State, and the auction plan for Revival of Non-Operational Mines, Expired Leases, Lapsed leases under Section 10A (2) of the MMDR Act, in the State.
The meeting also took stock of the status of Operationalization of Auctioned Mining Blocks, Status of Ongoing Exploration projects, Exploration projects by agencies like GSI/MECL/State Exploration Agencies/NPEAs etc.
Speaking to media persons post meeting, Reddy said that Goa government is gearing up to resume mining operations in the State following the norms and directions laid down by the Supreme Court. “State will ensure that best practices and sustainable mining activities are undertaken,” he said.
“In the coming six months, new mining operations will commence,” Reddy said adding that the government is taking into consideration all the aspects like the environment, revenue generation for the State and people dependent and employment opportunities to locals.
Later speaking, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the State has so far e-auctioned 12 mineral blocks of which nine are ready with all permissions to start mining activities. “Two-three mineral blocks are stuck due to clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC),” he said.
Sawant said that Reddy has assured to expedite all the pending clearances. “We are hopeful that mining operations will commence full-fledged from this year,” he said.
Sawant also said that the government has identified one or two critical minerals for exploration purposes in the State.
The iron ore mining activities in the State have been halted since September 2012, after then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar imposed “temporary” ban following Justice MB Shah Commission report on illegal mining. The ban was extended by the Supreme Court, who was hearing a petition filed based on Shah's report. The ban was lifted in 2014.
In 2018, the Apex Court set aside the second renewals granted to the mining leases and directed the State to adopt the auction route.
