Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: The State government will e-auction over two million tons of iron ore on August 27. This will be the 26th e-auction the Directorate of Mines and Geology will be conducting since 2015.
The Directorate of Mines and Geology has been conducting since November 2015 e-auctions of the iron ore declared to be illegally mined and which is in its custody after the Supreme Court held that the deemed mining lessees expired after November 22, 2007.
The extracted ore is lying at Cudnem, Sonus-Onvalim, Pissurlem, Vagus plant, Pale mine, Kotambi jetty, Collem and Cauvrem plant, the sources have said.
Earlier, the State government had suspended mining operations in the State in September 2012. Later, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), New Delhi, kept all Environment Clearances (ECs) granted to mines in abeyance.
Approximately 16 million tonnes of ore extracted illegally and lying at mines, plots and jetties were in the custody of the State government. Till date, approximately 14 million tonnes has been re-auctioned to the bidders, thereby fetching revenue of about Rs 1300 crore.
