BICHOLIM: Demanding the immediate resumption of “legal” mining in the State, representatives of about 15 mining-related associations have threatened a rally at Panjim on December 19 if the mining issue is not resolved by the government.

At a large public meeting in Bicholim on Wednesday, the workers and mining-dependent people also formed the Goa Mining Peoples’ Front (GMPF) and have put forth seven common minimum demands to the government.

PANJIM: The last day of the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee’s stay in Goa witnessed a steady stream of visitors ranging from officials of mining companies, state government and those affected by incessant mining as well as activists to balance the otherwise skewed equation of people securing an audience with the CEC.

Curtorim MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, who said he called on the CEC in his personal capacity as an MLA of Curtorim constituency said that while he did not wish to divulge what he discussed or placed before the CEC, said that he was confident that the CEC and the Supreme Court would arrive at a just and fair resolution of the issue.

Bhubaneswar It is like carrying coal to Newcastle. Orissa, which already has a huge reserve of iron ore and bauxite, is, of late, importing the two raw materials.

Realising this, the state government has now decided to put in place a mechanism to ensure raw material supply from the state mines to the mineral-based industries in the state. The state government has constituted a three-member ministerial panel under the chairmanship of finance minister Prasanna Acharya to formulate a policy to ensure smooth supply of minerals such as iron ore, bauxite, manganese and chrome ore to industries based in the state on a long-term basis. The other members of the committee include industries minister Niranjan Pujhari and steel & mines minister Ranjani Kant Singh.

BICHOLIM: The issue of no-objection certificates (NOC) granted by the panchayat secretary to mining companies in the village dominated the recent Mayem-Vaiginim gram sabha.

At a special gram sabha held recently, residents highlighted the problems faced by truck owners, while others came down heavily on mining companies. During the discussion, residents alleged that the panchayat secretary had given several NOCs to mining companies. The villagers demanded to know on what grounds the NOCs were given and what exactly were those NOCs.

The state steel & mines department is not in favour of a complete ban on export of iron ore to help curb illegal mining activities.

The M B Shah Commission of enquiry probing into large scale mining activities without lawful authority had recently sought the views of the state government on whether export of iron ore should be prohibited to control illegal mining. “We are not in favour of a complete ban on iron ore export as it will not be in the interest of the state government as well as leaseholders. The department is of the opinion that a limit on exports can be fixed. But nothing has been decided yet and a final decision will be taken at the highest level,” said a source at steel & mines department.

In a major relief for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has ruled out any irregularities in coal block allocation between 1993-2004.

Affected mine owners point out that the govt’s October 26 order is retrospective.

For mining company Sesa Goa, it is Cairn India which has again helped prop it up.

PANJIM: While the ore rich talukas of Goa have begun to bear the brunt of closure of mining industry, Chief Secretary B Vijayan claimed that the downturn had not affected the State exchequer, even as revenue collection was only 30 percent of the estimates.

Vijayan refuted fears of a recession even though the State earned only Rs 360 crore of the estimated Rs 900 crore mining revenue in the last seven months.

The recent order of the Joda mining circle office to 10 miners, who are waiting for renewal of their mining leases, to restrict iron ore output only to the extent of their captive plant need until the completion of the lease renewal process, is likely to result in 27 million tonne (mt) production loss per year, trade estimates said.

The order follows a recent state government resolution that mines having value addition industry attached to it will be given priority at the time of renewal of mining leases.