The government of the western Indian state of Goa has approved a policy enabling exports of low grade iron ore from dumps, a government official said on Thursday, December 30.
The official said that an estimated 10-20 million mt of low grade iron ore are lying at different locations in Goa, outside mining leases, which could now be exported under the new policy.
The Goa government will regularize all dumps lying on government or private land, relaxing earlier rules under which imposing fines for use of any land to stock idle low grade iron ore outside mining leasehold areas.
Owners of dumps will be permitted to export the iron ore with permission of the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) and payment of stipulated royalty.
It might be noted that iron ore mining operations in Goa were halted in 2012 by an Indian Supreme Court order which held the renewal of mining leases for iron ore mines by the state government without auction to be illegal.