Handling of low-grade iron ore to begin soon in state
Panaji:
The handling of low-grade iron ore is set to start in the state as the directorate of mines and geology (DMG) granted final approval to Chowgule and Company Pvt Ltd to handle 3 lakh tonnes of low-grade iron ore lying outside the mining leases at Shirgao at a premium of 22%.
This is the first time since mining activities came to a halt in Sep 2012 that any mining company has been allowed to handle the dumps.
'Chowgule and Company Pvt Ltd can start dump handling any time. They have got environmental clearance (EC) and the consent to operate from the Goa State Pollution Control Board, among other necessary permissions. We gave them permit to start dump handling,' DMG director Narayan Gad told
TOI
.
The DMG received applications from many companies to handle iron ore dumps across the state.
TOI
had reported that state govt was exploring the option of letting mining companies handle low-grade iron ore dumps in line with the quantity they declared, if it corresponds to their mining plan approved by the Indian Bureau of Mines.
State govt empanelled four agencies to conduct a dump profile study of the low-grade iron ore in Goa on a pilot basis.
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Sai Universal Mining Services, Global Environmental and Mining Services, Minerals Lab Services Pvt Ltd, and Sinha Mining Consultancy will conduct quantity and quality assessments of the ore.
Nineteen mining companies, in their applications to govt, said they want to handle around 55 million tonnes of low-grade iron ore in the state. Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that with the low-grade iron ore stock of Goa, mining activities can run for the next five years without any problem.
The ore lies in the talukas of Bicholim, Sanguem, Dharbandora and Sattari. A senior official said that state govt filed an affidavit in Supreme Court stating that mining companies have to get green nods to handle dumps. Govt decided to allow only mining companies, leaseholders, and exporters to participate in the auctioning of the dumps.
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