Goa government to start mineral extraction from October

With Supreme Court partially lifting iron ore mining ban in the state, the Goa government expects to start mineral extraction from October and reach 20 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) level in the next 12 months.

The Supreme Court had lifted its 18-month-old veto on all mining activities in Goa by allowing annual excavation of up to 20 million tonnes of iron ore. However, the Apex court also passed slew of directions for the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and the Goa government for strictly regulating mining activities in the state till the expert panel, set up by it, submits its final report.

Goa’s chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar, underscored that mining, which contributes as much as 25 per cent to the state economy had been impacted negatively by the ban. However, since the ban is lifted partially, the government’s first target would be to take care of the people, who were rendered unemployed and whose businesses were affected by the earlier ban. Parrikar further stated that state mining policy would be ready in a couple of months, which would have a clear-cut policy framework as far as mining was concerned.