Mines ministry plans to undertake a fresh assessment of the extent of losses to the exchequer on account of illegal mining in Goa. This is being done to end speculation over the quantum of revenue loss to the state, with figures ranging from R1,200 crore to R10,000 crore annually.
?Different revenue loss numbers floating in the market are misleading. We do not know the source of these numbers. Our assessment will end all speculation,? a senior mining ministry official said.
?A high court petition said the iron ore was extracted in excess of the statutory limit but this might be due to non-clearances of mining plans. We do not know the exact reason, so it is not possible to estimate the revenue loss,? he said.
The mining ministry has directed the Indian Bureau of Mines to work out the loss estimate, while a central government-appointed inquiry commission headed by Justice M B Shah has already stated probing the mining sector in the coastal state.
?Some of the iron ore being exported from Goa might have come from Karnataka, which means the losses are being calculated twice. Such calculations would hit the future investment in the mining industry,? he said.
Goa is one of the major iron ore producing states in the country.