The Union mines ministry has asked the Goa government to make it mandatory for mine owners to procure environment clearance (EC) certificates for moving ore dumps (rejects) that are scattered across the state.
In a letter written to Goa mines secretary R K Verma, the Union ministry has rejected the submission made by Advocate General of Goa last year, in which, he had claimed that 'dump removal does not require environmental clearance'.
"The ministry is of the opinion that since the dumps are a result of mining operations and that their handling involves impact on environment, appropriate environmental clearance and other clearances should be a pre-requisite," Anil Subramaniam, under secretary of Union mines ministry has said in his letter.
In October 2011, against the backdrop of allegations of rampant illegal mining activity in the state, the Goa government had frozen the handling of the dumps.
The new mineral policy -- Goa Minerals (Prevention of Illegal Mining Transportation and Storage) Rules, 2012, is expected to lift the ban, allowing the mine owners to sell the dumps.
The mountains of ore dumps are left behind once the ore is tapped. The rejects have suddenly got a demand in the international market like China.
The mines ministry has said that the state may consult them before notifying the policy.
The Union Ministry has also urged the need to have a water-tight arrangement to ensure that there is no royalty leakage while handling (exporting) the dumps.
The letter suggests that before allowing the dumps to be handled, there is a need for exact quantification of grade and quantity of ore and geo-referencing of the dumps.
Goa is India's largest export of iron ore, which is extracted from its 90-odd mining leases. The state had exported 43 million metric tones of ore last financial year.
