State to extend ECs of earlier leases to quicken mining restart

Panaji: The state government has decided to extend the environment clearance (EC) obtained by earlier lessees of 88 mining leases for two years, so that those who win the auction can start mining activities immediately.
“We will put a clause in new tender documents of mining lease auctions that the earlier EC can be used for two years, and that they (those who win) have to obtain a new EC within two years,” chief minister Pramod Sawant told TOI.
He also said that when mining came to a halt in March 2018, the ECs of 88 mining leases were valid, and the same EC will be allowed to be used by successful bidders for the next two years. However, he said that the “New decision will not be implemented for the four blocks already auctioned by the state government”.
The state will auction seven more mining leases this month.
The Supreme Court had quashed the second renewal of 88 mining leases in 2018, and since then, the state has been trying to restart mining. A senior official said that if the earlier ECs are not extended, it will take at least another two years to start mining activities as successful bidders would have to apply for fresh ECs.
The state government is likely to auction mining leases required to initially meet the capping limit of 30 million tonnes of iron ore extraction, a limit recommended by the expert committee constituted by the Supreme Court. Earlier, the SC had allowed an annual cap of 20 million tonnes.
“We will approach the apex court to seek permission to increase the capping limit to 30 million tonnes based on the report,” a senior official said, adding that the leases will be auctioned based on the capping limit.
Recently, the state government successfully completed the auction of four mining leases, three in North Goa and one in South Goa. All the mining leases have been retained by Goa-based mining companies.