Goa revokes ban on iron ore transportation

Panaji, March 13 (IANS) Two days after Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar gave an assurance on commencement of iron ore mining, which has been banned for the last two-and-a-half years, the district administrations on Friday issued formal orders revoking the ban on iron ore transportation.

Formal orders were issued simultaneously by the district collectors of North Goa and South Goa to revoke the ban on "movement and transportation of all types of iron ore laden vehicles" with immediate effect.

Mining in Goa was stopped both by the state government as well as the central government in 2012 following a Rs.35,000 crore illegal mining scam which was unearthed by a judicial commission appointed by the union mines ministry, before the Supreme Court banned all mining activity in the same year.

The ban was eventually lifted last year but mining still could not be restarted because of pending green clearances.

The state government has now sent an interim proposal to the union ministry for environment and forests for quick resumption of mining in Goa, which Parsekar claimed is a lifeline for the state's economy.

According to the chief minister, mining is expected to resume in a few days' time.

"It won't be a matter of months now, or weeks, but it will be a matter of a few days wherein mining will commence," Parsekar said on Wednesday.