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A committee of experts constituted by the Goa government has recommended a cap on extraction of iron ore in the coastal State to 20-25 million tonnes (mt), which is almost half the existing exports.
The Goa Golden Jubilee Development Council (GGJDC), a panel headed by scientist Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, in their Goa Vision 2035 report submitted to the government on Wednesday, has recommended that the cap on mining should be between 20-25 mt a year, exclusive of the mining dumps. Mining dumps are low-grade ore rejects that are piled up in the mining leases and outside it, and now become marketable because of its international demand.
The committee, which was formed last year, has suggested that the cap should be imposed from 2012-2017, to be reviewed thereafter, to reduce the ecosystem and social stress in the region due to mining activity.
Report submitted
The document, which was presented to the Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Parrikar, at a small function at his official residence on Wednesday, also speaks of appointing the high-powered committee (HPC) on the issue of mining, comprising experts from various fields, which can advise the government on how much the cap should be.
“The HPC should advice on the cap after examining evolution of mining in Goa and identifying the stress that have existed from time to time due to enhanced mining,” he said.
Goa is India’s biggest iron ore exporting State.
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