By IANS,
Panaji : Iron ore exports from Goa are expected to dip this financial year as the Goa government has issued stringent regulatory methods in the wake of the Supreme Court-appointed Justice M.B. Shah Commission’s investigation in the state.
This was revealed by president of the Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association (GMOEA) Shivanand Salgaonkar here Tuesday. He told reporters that a series of suspension notices issued to mining companies and other measures initiated by the state government could affect Goa’s exports.
“The state government has already asked the mining firms not to export the dumps (heaps of low grade iron ore), which are stacked at the mining sites. Since no dumps are allowed to be handled, we will be dependent on the new extractions for exports,” Salgaonkar said.
“Dumps” refer to mountains of heaps of ore with low iron content, which are extracted when high grade ore is sourced from open cast mining pits. Low grade iron, stored in heaps adjoining mining sites, is sold as per the demands of the international market.
Goa in the last financial year had exported a record 54 million tonnes of ore to countries like China, Japan, Romania, etc. The state is the highest exporter of iron ore in the country followed by Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.
The Shah Commission is probing allegations of illegal mining in Goa, which according to a ruling Congress party legislator has been pegged at Rs.10,000 crore.
The Goa legislative assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on illegal mining is expected to be tabled during the monsoon session, which begins Wednesday (Oct 5).