All steps taken to resume mining in Goa 9 iron ore blocks auctioned CM

    Panaji, Jul 16 (PTI) The Goa government has taken all possible steps to resume mining operations in the state and successfully auctioned nine iron ore mineral blocks, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said in the legislative assembly.

    The CM tabled a written reply in the House on Tuesday while responding to a question from BJP MLA Premendra Shet.

    Currently, the state government has "successfully auctioned nine iron ore mineral blocks, which includes 17 erstwhile mining leases," he said.

    To a question on the total number of workers from all companies in the mining belt that are registered with the government, Sawant said, "As per the information furnished by the Office of the Commissioner, Labour and Employment, it is informed that no workers from mining belt are registered with their Department/Office."

    As per the available records provided by the software service provider (GEL), 9,429 trucks are registered with the Directorate of Mines and Geology, he said.

    "Out of these, 8,285 trucks are registered with the DMG having GEL (Goa Electronics Limited) registration number which can ply for major and minor minerals," he said.
    The closure of the iron ore mining industry since 2012 has adversely affected the state’s economy. A number of families depend on this industry for livelihood in the iron ore-rich belt.


    The BJP government in Goa has managed to partially resume the mining operations by auctioning various leases.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)