Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant has directed state authorities to fast-track approvals for auctioned mining blocks and said full-scale mining activity is expected to begin by December, while the government works on revised rates for compensation, surface rights, land rights and transportation.
At a meeting with mine leaseholders, the chief secretary and officials from the forest and environment departments, Sawant appealed to residents and panchayats in mining areas to cooperate with the revival of the industry. He asked people not to oppose mining projects “unnecessarily” and said disputes should be addressed through dialogue.
The chief minister said the proposed framework would bring greater clarity to payments involving landowners and other rights holders. According to his statement, the government will decide the applicable rates for compensation, surface rights and land rights, after which mine leaseholders will make the payments.
Sawant said the Kurpem-Sulcorna mineral block in South Goa is expected to be among the first to become operational. He also said eight to nine more blocks are likely to be auctioned by December. The government plans to fast-track public hearings and other approval processes, while auctions of mining dumps are also expected to proceed.
The chief minister said Chowgule, Vedanta and Salgaonkar were in the process of starting mining operations. He added that, in the case of dumps auctioned on government land, surface-right issues would be resolved by the government. The administration is seeking cooperation from other affected parties so that mining can begin across what Sawant described as three tiers: mineral blocks, mining dumps and related operations.
According to figures cited by the chief minister, 17 mineral blocks have been auctioned in Goa so far. Six of them have become operational, while the remaining blocks are awaiting forest and environment clearances. Sawant directed officials to expedite the pending process.
The proposed restart will also affect the movement of ore and mining-related traffic on local roads. Sawant said leaseholders had been instructed to prioritise local workers and machinery, and argued that renewed mining would generate employment, self-employment and revenue for the state. He said the government’s aim was to streamline the sector while ensuring that mining did not harm the environment.
The state’s next steps are to revise the relevant rates, expedite forest and environment clearances, complete public-hearing processes and advance the auction of additional blocks and dumps. The Kurpem-Sulcorna block is expected to be among the first to move towards operations.
