PANAJI
Riding on the successful auction of 16 mineral blocks across four rounds of e-auctions, the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) is set to begin the process of identifying additional blocks in June-July this year, with the next round of auctions tentatively scheduled for January 2027.
Director of Mines Narayan Gad said the timeline for the upcoming auctions will, however, depend on the imposition of the model code of conduct ahead of the Goa Legislative Assembly elections. “We intend to conduct the auctions in January next year, but this will be subject to the election code,” Gad stated.
In line with the ceiling of 20 million tonnes production imposed by the Supreme Court, the total environmental clearance (EC) capacity of the mineral blocks auctioned through the four Notices Inviting Tenders (NITs) so far stands at approximately 18.5 MT.
Gad further informed that the identification process for blocks under the fifth NIT will begin mid-year, with technical support from the Geological Survey of India for the preparation of detailed geological reports.
In the latest, fourth round of auctions held earlier this month, the DMG successfully auctioned four out of six mineral blocks. Two bidders -- Anand Minerals and Venkateshwara Rao Gorantala -- secured two blocks each. The auctioned sites include Cudnem (XII and XIV), Pissurlem (XVI), and the Adwalpale-Mollem mineral block (XVII).
However, two blocks- Mineral Block XV at Pissurlem and Mineral Block XVIII at Cavorem, Maina could not be auctioned after mining firms approached the courts over separate disputes, halting the process.
As per Gad, all four blocks in the latest round were awarded at bids exceeding 100 per cent of the reserve price, significantly higher than the government’s base benchmark of 25 per cent.
Overall, of the 12 mineral blocks auctioned by the State government so far, seven have already commenced mining operations.
