Full-fledged mining to start from Oct
Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said in the assembly that mining activities will begin on a larger scale in Goa from Oct this year. Sawant said that an auction for 12 mining blocks has been tendered, and mining has commenced in the case of three, while four other blocks are in the process of being auctioned and will be operational soon.
'Others are awaiting approvals from the director general of mines and safety, etc. We have carried out 29 e-auctions so far,' the chief minister said. 'We are trying to start sustainable mining in the state in a full-fledged manner at the earliest. We will auction the remaining four blocks, and two major blocks will become operational.'
He said, 'We are serious about the restart of the mining industry. I am fully aware of the problems faced by people in the mining belt of the state.'
The CM said unidentified dumps on govt lands will also be auctioned. He said that the restart of mining in South Goa is facing some hurdles due to the requirement of forest clearances, as most of these mines are within forest areas.
Quepem MLA Altone D'Costa said that the people of South Goa are waiting eagerly for mining to restart in a sustainable manner. 'Only 12 mining blocks have been made operational, and only three are in South Goa,' he said.
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D'Costa also sought to know how much of the loss in revenue due to illegal mining has been recovered by govt so far. 'You first said the loss was Rs 35,000 crore and then brought it down to only Rs 350 crore,' he said. 'But more than 50% of the recovery is still pending.'
Sawant, however, said that a committee has been formed to carry out the recovery and added that much of the pending amount has been recovered.
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