IBM, govt figures on ore contradictory (Herald)

January 3, 2014 SHWETA KAMAT PANJIM: Goa has nearly 10.15 million tones of legally extracted iron ore ready for e-auction according to the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM). The figure contradicts the State government claim in the Supreme Court that 11.56 million tones of extracted iron ore was lying unused. Based on the returns filed by the mining firms, IBM statistics reveals that Goa produced 21.15 million tones ore that includes lumps, fines and concentrates, during April 2012- March 2013. The total value of the mineral is Rs 4048.50 crore. Goa did not report any production from October 2012-March 2013, due to suspension of mining operations imposed by BJP-led government (on September 10, 2012) followed by the Supreme Court (on October 5, 2012), whose order is still in place. The fresh extraction of iron ore during the said period was 10.575 million tones, fines were 8.814 million tones and lumps were 1.682 million tones while the balance were concentrates. According to information procured from the Directorate of Mines and Geology and the Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association (GMOEA), total 11 million tones of ore was exported from Goa from April 2012, till September. State is now left with 10.15 million tones of ore that can be e-auctioned as per the directives of Supreme Court. The ore was basically extracted in 2012 before the ban was imposed and could not be exported. “State has approximately 11.56 million tones of ore based on the monthly return filed by the miners,” government affidavit said. When contacted, Director Mines Prasanna Acharya said that department will go as per its own figures. “We don’t know how these figures came. IBM only will have to explain. We have made our submission and we will go according to our figures,” he said. In a fresh affidavit, submitted later, Government had revised the figures stating that 15.46 million tones of ore was lying in the State out of which 3.9 million tones is illegal and the same has been confiscated by the State. http://www.heraldgoa.in/News/Local%20News/IBM-govt-figures-on-ore-contradictory/83845.html