The government of the western Indian state of Goa has issued a notification directing all iron ore mine owners to stop excavation and remove all movable equipment from mines by March 13, two days ahead of the Supreme Court deadline to halt production, a Goa government official said on Wednesday, March 7.
The official said that excavation had to be stopped two days ahead of the court deadline, as the government has formed teams that will need to complete detailed inspections of all the 88 mines directed to be closed down by March 15.
The inspection team will determine all stocks and dumps of iron ore at each of the mining sites, and will determine which stocks and dumps are fresh and which are old stocks, the official said.
Such inspection reports will enable the government to monitor auction and dispatch of stocks from the mines once extraction comes to a halt in the next few days, he added.
Only mines which had already paid the requisite royalties to the Goa government will be permitted to transport iron ore stocks from mines to stockyards and port jetties, the official said.
All mines have been directed to remove all movable equipment from pitheads, as a precautionary measure to prevent any illegal mining after the court-mandated deadline to stop production, the official said.