Goa government told to submit details over iron ore dumps

Panaji: The Union Ministry of Mines has asked the Goa Government to submit details by 18 October regarding the low grade ore lying in the form of mining rejects along side the extraction sites in the coastal state, sources said today. The Union ministry in a recent meeting held in Delhi asked the Goa Mines and Geology Department to submit details of the dumped ore, while directing the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) to oversee detailing of these dumps, they said. The mines and geology department in its submission to the Ministry of Mines said 750 million tons of ore has piled up in the form of dumps. [caption id=“attachment_106842” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The dumps have accumulated over last 30 to 40 years. Reuters”]  [/caption] Meanwhile, the state government has ordered the mines “not to handle the dumps till further orders”. Mining industry in Goa has drawn criticism over allegations of extraction of ore “exceeding the permissible limit”. Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association (GMOEA) had stated that the threshold value of the ore had fallen since 2009 thus raising demand for the dumps which were kept aside as rejects for several years. State Mines director Arvind Lolienkar too confirmed that “these dumps have accumulated over last 30 to 40 years”. PTI