Panaji, June 2 (IANS): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant here on Sunday said he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi to seek ways to restart mining in the state.

"We will meet the Prime Minister and the Mines Minister after some time so that he (Joshi) has time to understand his ministry," Sawant said, adding resolving the mining deadlock was a priority for his government.

Mining in most leased areas was banned by the Supreme Court in 2018. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promised early resumption of mining in Goa during the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections.

In May, Sawant said harvesting mining dumps -- heaps of low-grade iron ore dumped by mining companies near their mining leases over decades -- was one of the options his government was examining to kick start the industry, despite the apex court ban on mining in 88 leases.

Over 736 million tonnes of iron ore are dumped in mountain-like heaps in Goa's mining belt. Sawant is expected to finalise the mining dump harvesting policy by July.