Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Buoyed by the successful auction of 16 mineral blocks across four phases, the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) is preparing to initiate the identification of additional mining blocks around June–July, with the next round of e-auctions tentatively targeted for January 2027.
Director of Mines Narayan Gad indicated that the proposed schedule could shift depending on the enforcement of the model code of conduct in the run-up to the Goa Legislative Assembly elections. “Our aim is to conduct the auctions early next year, but this will depend on the election-related restrictions,” he said.
The state continues to operate within the Supreme Court-mandated annual cap of 20 million tonnes of iron ore production. So far, the cumulative environmental clearance (EC) capacity of blocks auctioned through four Notices Inviting Tenders (NITs) is estimated at around 18.5 million tonnes.
Gad added that groundwork for the fifth NIT will commence mid-year, with the Geological Survey of India providing technical assistance to prepare detailed geological assessments of prospective sites.
In the most recent fourth auction round held earlier this month, four out of six mineral blocks were successfully allotted. Companies Anand Minerals and Venkateshwara Rao Gorantala secured two blocks each. The blocks auctioned include Cudnem (XII and XIV), Pissurlem (XVI), and Adwalpale-Mollem (XVII).
Two blocks—Pissurlem’s Mineral Block XV and Cavorem-Maina’s Mineral Block XVIII—remained unallotted due to ongoing legal disputes that stalled the auction process.
According to the DMG, all four blocks awarded in the latest round attracted bids exceeding 100 per cent of the reserve price, well above the state’s benchmark threshold of 25 per cent.
Out of the 12 mineral blocks auctioned so far by the government, mining operations have already commenced in seven, marking a gradual revival of the sector.
