Panaji, Dec 21 (TOI): Contrary to speculation that the the Narendra Modi-led government had rejected the Goa government’s petition to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957, the Union ministry of mines on Thursday said that the proposed amendment remained under consideration.

However, the ministry refrained from providing an assurance that the proposal for an amendment would be accepted in the near future. The information was provided by minister of state for mines and coal, Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, in response to South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar’s question on iron ore mining in Goa, which came to a halt on March 16 following a Supreme Court order.

In his question to the minister for mines, Sawaikar asked if the Union mines ministry proposed to amend the MMDR Act. “A proposal has been received from the government of Goa to amend the Mines and Minerals (development and regulation) Act, 1957, and the same is under examination in the ministry of mines,” Chaudhary said in the written reply.

Interestingly, the minister in his reply also informed Sawaikar that Section 8A (4) of MMDR Act, “provides that on expiry of the lease period, the lease shall be put up for auction” as per the procedure specified in the Act.

The Union ministry noted that “no mining activity is presently taking place” in Goa, but accepted that Goa received an annual revenue of Rs 510.2 crore from iron ore mining operations in 2017-18.

Earlier this year, CM Manohar Parrikar had requested the Centre to amend the MMDR Act to extend the tenure of mining leases till 2037, so that mining operations could resume.

“In my opinion, this puts to rest the so-called theory and the propaganda that the proposal of the state government has been rejected by the Union government,” said Sawaikar.

In November, news reports surfaced that the Centre was not in favour of a legislative cure to help restart mining operations in Goa following the Supreme Court order in February, which quashed the second renewal of 88 mining leases granted by the state government.

News that the Centre was against the amendment had created unrest among mining companies, mining-dependent families and BJP.

Goa Mining People’s Frontrecently staged a three-day protest in New Delhi, where politicians across party lines voiced their support.