Goa: Mining corridors to decongest roads to come up in 3 years

In a bid to decongest the main roads of Goa, the state government has decided to set up dedicated corridors in next three years for the transportation of iron ore from the mining leases to the jetties.
"The project of mining corridors is huge. We will require minimum three years to complete it," Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) Chairman Deepak Pauskar told PTI.
"A network of roads across the state has been planned so that the trucks avoid the main roads while transporting the iron ore from mining leases to jetties on the river fronts," he said.
The state run-GSIDC has been appointed as the nodal agency to construct these roads.

Pauskar said the work on the mining corridors will start after the upcoming monsoon season.
"You can't work during the monsoons. That is why we will start the work on it only after the rains," he said.

The GSIDC has also decided to study the feasibility of the project before going ahead with the construction, as several mining leases do not operate in the areas where the corridors are proposed.
"We have to take into account the operations of mining leases. In certain places like Tilamol and Rivona in South Goa, several mines have not commenced operations. Hence, it won't be feasible enough to invest and build corridors there," he said.

"We have to take into consideration all the aspects," Pauskar said.
The district mineral fund collected from various mining firms would bear the cost of the project, he said.
The Supreme Court had earlier made it mandatory for collection of 30 per cent of the mining royalty as district mineral fund.
"Of the total district mineral fund, 10 per cent would be diverted towards the construction of these mining corridors," Pauskar said.
In 2011, then Chief Minister Digambar Kamat had mooted the idea of having dedicated mining corridors in Goa.
However, it could not take shape as there were funding issues after the mining companies declined to finance it. Later, the iron ore extraction industry was hit hard by the ban in September 2012.