Panji, Sep 7 (PTI): The Goa government will begin the process of lifting suspension on the mining leases only after the ten-day long Ganesh Chaturthi festival beginning from Monday, a senior official said today.

Assistant Director of Mines and Geology Department Parag Nagarcekar said that the process to sign lease agreements with mine owners will begin only after Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar recently announced that the Mines and Geology Department would sign lease agreements with mine owners, after which suspension on their leases would be withdrawn. In the first phase, around 24 leases would be signed, mostly belonging to major mining giants like Sesa Goa, Chowgules, Salgaoncars and others.

The state government has clarified that withdrawal of the suspension order does not mean that mining activity in those leases could resume.

Mine owners would have to wait for the Supreme Court to lift the ban on exports and fresh extractions which was imposed an year ago. The Supreme Court is likely to speed up hearing of the Goa mining case from September 17 onwards.

Almost 25 per cent of Goa's population is dependent on mining and the state is the biggest exporter of iron ore to China and Japan.