Indian iron ore exports in April to November dip by down 28pct YoY

Monday, 02 Jan 2012

Indian iron ore exports dipped by over 28% YoY to about 40 million tonnes in April to November 2011 following ban on shipments from Karnataka and subdued output in Goa. According to the data released by Federation of Indian Mineral Industries, iron ore exports from the country were over 55.5 million tonnes in the year ago period.

FIMI Secretary General Mr RK Sharma told PTI that "The decline in exports of iron ore is due to a number of reasons. The Karnataka ban comes on the top. Also, several mines in Goa are closed and the Odisha government has stopped giving export permits.” Iron ore exports from the country were not positive since the beginning of the current fiscal compared to the corresponding periods of the last fiscal. The most glaring fall was in August, when it came down by nearly 45% to 2.6 million tonnes from 4.7 million tonnes. November was equally bad as shipments dipped by nearly 44% to 4.7 million tonnes against 8.3 million tonnes recorded in November 2010.

India the third largest global exporter of iron ore, had exported 97.64 million tonnes iron ore in the last fiscal, down from 117.3 million tonnes in 2009-10.

(Sourced from PTI)

Goa orders re verification of traders

Monday, 21 Nov 2011

The Goa administration has ordered a re verification of the missing and unscrupulous iron ore traders by the police before actually filing police complaints against them for various violations, as suggested earlier by the Shah Commission of Inquiry.

Environmental activists eagerly awaiting the inquiry report here, however, alleged that these were delaying tactics adopted by officials to save their own skin or that of their predecessors who were instrumental in large scale violations in registration of ore traders.

Over a fortnight ago, a senior official of the Shah Commission repeatedly asked the Goa Mines and Geology Department to file police complaints against nearly 110 of the 400 plus such traders who could not be traced at their addresses, according to a report submitted by State Home Department.

The report, which was submitted to the inquiry commission directly by the Department of Mines and Geology last month, was viewed seriously by the Shah Commission.

Sources in the State government told The Hindu that following the recommendations of the Shah Commission, the Mines Department was asked to order a re-verification after it was brought to the notice of the administration that some genuine companies had shifted their offices after their leases expired.

The sources admitted that there could be some genuine cases which needed another opportunity but the government was not opting for it since it would allow some influential fly-by-night operators an escape route and also avert or delay police action against many officials in the department, past and present, for their dubious role in faulty registration of traders based on poor data and inadequate information.

The police in their report had stated that the offices of the traders and companies were found closed or not traceable as they had shifted to new locations. In some cases, sketchy addresses were given, inviting response from police that the trader “did not exist.”

(Sourced from Hindu.com)

Barge owners want cap on vessels in Goa

Saturday, 12 Nov 2011

IANS reported that amid predictions that iron ore trade volumes will drastically dip this fiscal, an association of ore ferrying river barges in Goa has asked the state government to stop registering more vessels.

The All Goa Barge Owners Association, representing the nearly 400 odd barges in the state, has asked chief minister Mr Digambar Kamat to put a ceiling on the number of barges in Goa.

Mr William D'Costa secretary of the association said that “Our waterways are congested. There is no place for more barges. Taking into account the amount of ore transported, having more barges in Goa will be uneconomical.”

Mr D'Costa said that “The total dead weight of all barges together is 650,000 tonnes. Considering the existing capacity, all barges together can have on an average 70 trips a year, which is uneconomical.”

Goa exported nearly 54 million tonnes of iron ore from the two ports in the state's jurisdiction, a minor port off Panaji and a major port Mormugao Port Trust. Ore from the mining pits in Goa's hinterland are ferried from mining jetties to the loading areas in these ports by river barges which ply along the Mandovi and Zuari rivers that open into the Arabian sea.

Even though Goa exported in excess of 50 million tonnes, there are growing fears of a crackdown on illegal mining, following the submission of the Justice MB Shah Commission report on illegal mining to the central government. Industry experts have predicted a sharp dip in Goa's mining exports this financial year.

(Sourced from IANS)

Goa mines dept unable to explain iron ore royalty losses to PAC

Thursday, 03 Mar 2011 By PTI

Goa mines department has failed to explain the royalty loss on almost one crore tonne of iron ore exported between 2003-05. The Goa Legislative Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee had questioned the mines department to reason the losses but the department floundered.

Mr Manohar Parrikar chairman of PAC in the absence of proper mechanism, the mines department had let the revenue losses in the form of royalty. He said that “The mines department has shown its inability to explain the revenue losses adding that the Comptroller Auditor General in its report had mentioned about these losses.”

The leader of the Opposition said that the legal mines in the state are not regulated which leads to these issues.

Mr Parrikar added that “Goa government has powers to formulate rules and regulations to control extraction and storage of minerals. If powers are executed then legal mining can be regulated.”

PAC has asked the State Transport Director, Mr Arun Desai to check unlicensed drivers of mining trucks. He claimed that “As per rough estimates, at least 25 per cent of these drivers don’t have licences.”

The Committee has directed the Director General of Police, Mr BS Bassi, to form a squad headed by the Deputy Superintendent of Police to curb the illegalities like overloading by these trucks. Both the departments have been asked to submit the action taken report to PAC as soon as possible.

Mr Parrikar said mining trucks have become a major bone of contention in rural Goa where people are on road, almost every day, complaining about dust pollution and accidents.