The state government notified the policy for regulating iron ore dump handling in the state of Goa, 2023, as a step towards mining of iron ore dumps and earning revenue. The policy allows the directorate of mines and geology (DMG) to auction all existing dumps created from mining activities as on date. The dumps include tailing dumps as well as dumps that are inventoried or not inventoried and which are within or outside the lease areas. However, the policy excludes dumps, which are located within the lease areas of mineral blocks, which have been successfully auctioned under sub-section (4) of section 8A of the MMDR Act. The government said the dumps in the auctioned mineral blocks will not be sold by it, as “it is not practical to have two operators separately for dump mining and actual mining within the lease area.”
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