Panaji: Goa's soon to be announced state mining policy would device means to regularise iron ore mined during 2007-2012, which was termed “illegal” by a recent Supreme Court judgement.
“Those who mined the minerals during 2007-2012 didn't know that it was illegal to do so. It was decided that it is illegal in the year 2014 (by the SC judgement),” Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told reporters here today. He said that the mining policy would work out a solution to give an opportunity to mine owners to regularise their irregular ore.
“People should be given an opportunity to turn their irregularity into regularity. The mining police would be a solution,” the Goa chief minister said, without specifying how exactly the policy would be framed.
Parrikar said that although the ore exported during 2007-2012 is estimated to be Rs 30,000 crore, the recovery of money would have to be calculated based on profits earned by mine owners and not on the value of ore mined.
He said that the answer on how the money would be recovered would be specified in the mining policy. The Goa chief minister also ruled out forming a corporation to run mining leases in the state. He said that running a mine and exports is a “logistics nightmare”.
“A few people want us to set up a corporation. It is very easy for them to say so, but it is a logistics nightmare and only corporates with experience in the area can do it,” he said.
