The Ministry of Mines has asked
the Goa Government to provide details on low-grade ore dumps that have piled up
alongside extraction sites in the coastal state by October 18, sources said
today.
The Ministry, in a recent meeting
held in Delhi, asked the Goa Mines and Geology Department to submit details of
the dumped ore, while directing the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) to oversee
that information on these dumps was accurately recorded, they said.
The Mines and Geology Department,
in its submission to the Ministry of Mines, said 750 million tonnes of ore has
piled up in the form of dumps.
Meanwhile, the State Government
has ordered the mines “not to handle the dumps till further orders.”
The mining industry in Goa has
drawn criticism over allegations of extraction of ore “exceeding the
permissible limit”.
The Goa Mineral Ore Exporters
Association had stated that the threshold value of ore with low Fe content has
fallen since 2009, resulting in the creation of dumps for rejected produce.
The State Mines Director, Mr
Arvind Lolienkar, too, confirmed that these dumps have accumulated over the
last 30-40 years.
The Union Ministry of Mines has also asked the Goa Government to furnish data on the allegations that the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) used to export iron ore even as the neighbouring state had banned the activity.
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