The Supreme Court has dismissed an SLP filed against the state of Goa 12(1)hh notices, clearing possibly the last shadow of uncertainty over auctions of Goa’s iron ore mines.
The petition was filed by Zarapkar Parkar, after a High Court order of August refused to quash the states’ notices asking old lessees to clear and vacate the mines. Some of Goa’s old lessees were still hopeful of getting a fair hearing on a claim of perpetuity over these areas originally granted to them as concession by the Portuguese, despite court orders.
The bench led by the Chief Justice of India is believed to have shown little patience for the Goa mining case. Telling the petitioner’s advocates, that all Goa rulings had been in the public interest of the state and every point had been covered in the past. Seeking to put a lid on it, the bench is said to have advised the petitioner to participate in a “win- win situation”, where he could get a mine and the state could earn additional revenues.
It may be noted that the Goan government has recently put up for auction four iron ore blocks. The blocks, three in the north – Bicholim, Sirigao-Mayem and Monte de Sirigao – and one at Kalay in south Goa are the first set of mines that are likely to be followed by auctions at regular intervals, according to senior state government officials.
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