Panaji: The Bombay high court at Goa reserved its order on a petition challenging the Goa Mineral Policy 2023, under which the state govt empowered itself to hand over millions of tonnes of low-grade iron ore to former leaseholders and miners without auction. “The hearing in the dump policy concluded, and the order was reserved,” Advocate General Devidas Pangam said.The Goa Foundation argued that the state cannot hand over such large quantities of ore to former miners without securing the best price through a transparent auction. It challenged the 2023 dump mining policy, which replaced earlier policies of 2013 and 2022.Though the 2023 policy has certain redeeming features, the foundation said it allows erstwhile miners to take possession of ore stocked outside lease areas and dispose of it after paying only royalty to the state.The foundation pointed out that the Supreme Court of India, in its April 21, 2014 judgment, declared all mineral dumps outside lease areas illegal. Such dumps now stand vested with the state, and there is no question of handing over their operation to former miners on nominal royalty, it argued.The petition further said that after amendments to the MMDR Act in 2015, there is no legal provision to transfer minerals to private parties except through auction. All mineral stocks are owned by the state, which holds them in trust for the people of Goa.Govt informed HC that 52% of revenue from the sale of low-grade iron ore dumps outside lease areas, including those on private property, will accrue to the state.It has fixed a 22% premium on the Indian Bureau of Mines price for former leaseholders allowed to handle such dumps.
