Goa expects iron ore mining to restart before monsoon

Parrikar says govt has taken action against illegal mining

Goa expects to resume iron ore mining before monsoon, its chief minister Manohar Parrikar said on Monday, as the country's top iron ore exporting state has taken action against illegal mining that prompted a ban in 2012.

The ban in Goa had frozen shipments that reached about 50 million tonne in the 2010/11 fiscal year. India's top court is hearing an appeal to resume mining in the state.

Goa can produce 25 million tonne of iron ore per year on a sustainable basis, he said.

The state's reserves of the ore are estimated to be 3 billion tonne as against the previous estimate of 1.2 billion tonne, as the Indian Bureau of Mines has now permitted exploration of lower grades, Parrikar told business leaders at an industry conference.