Goa govt eyeing Rs 500 cr revenue via e-auction of unclaimed iron ore dumps

With the approval for a revised policy, the Goa government is eyeing a revenue of about Rs 500 crore from e-auction of unclaimed iron ore heaps lying on private lands, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Thursday.

The state government on Thursday approved the revised Goa Iron Ore Mining Dump Handling Policy, 2023, which allows it to e-auction unclaimed ore lying in the form of dumps at various private locations in the state.

The iron ore mining. a major source of revenue, has been halted in the coastal state since 2012 following a Supreme Court order.

The state has now begun e-auctioning of the mining blocks.

The iron ore dumps, which have been lying at various locations in the state, have remained untouched since mining operations stopped in 2012.

Briefing the media after the cabinet meeting, Sawant said under the revised mining dump policy, the heaps of ore that are "unclaimed on private land without payment of the land conversion fee" will be e-auctioned by the state government.

The state targets a revenue of Rs 400-500 crore from the e-auctioning of 30-40 dumps, which the government has identified after conducting a survey, he said.

Many such dumps are lying across the state and will be e-auctioned at a later stage, the chief minister said.

The e-auctioning of the dumps would help clear the land of ore heaps lying there for years, he said.

The state government would pay a lease amount to the land owner once the ore is e-auctioned, Sawant said.

The exact lease fee amount will be decided at a later stage.

"The e-auctioning of the 30-40 dumps identified during the initial phase will start in the next 15 days," he said.