Goa Miners Seek Centre’s Intervention Against Mining Ban

The Centre today assured its support for the iron ore mining industry in Goa after a delegation of miners sought the Centre's intervention against a recent Supreme Court judgement banning mining activity in the state from March 16 this year.

Following a meeting between the delegation and Nripendra Misra, principal secretary to the Prime Minister, the Centre has also asked the Chief Secretary of Goa to commission a report on the issue, Ambar Timblo, president of Goa Mineral Ore Exporters' Association told BloombergQuint.

Timblo is the managing director of the third largest mining group in Goa, Fomento Resources Ltd. His company accounts for nearly 15-20 percent of the mining in the state. The mining ban would hit its revenue by $150 million on an annualised basis, he said. Vedanta Resources is the other company that operates a 3 million tonne mine in the state. The company declined to comment on the issue.

The Supreme Court quashed all the 88 iron ore mining leases renewed by the Goa government on Feb. 7, an order that will halt nearly 20 million tonne of iron ore mining every year. The apex court held that the earlier judgement of 2012 did not give Goa the power to renew mining leases.

A bench headed by Justice Madan Lokur ordered that no mining activity in the state will continue after March 15. The top court ordered that the Goa government will have to grant the leases afresh through auctions. The judgement came on a plea filed by non-government organisation, Goa Foundation, represented by lawyer Prashant Bhushan. The petitioners had alleged that mining undertaken through these leases was illegal.

Seeking Review

The miners are expected to approach the Supreme Court for the review of the judgement. I do understand that some of our members would be doing so, but I am not clear who they are yet, said Timblo. They have got till end of this week to approach the court for review of the judgement, he added.