The Supreme Court today allowed an annual cap of 20 million tonnes of iron ore to be extracted in Goa. A bench comprising justices A K Patnaik, S S Nijjar and F M I Kalifulla, however, said expert panel will give final a recommendation on annual cap on excavation of iron ore within six months. It said there cannot be a deemed renewal of lease after 2007 of the existing lease deeds emanating from 1962 onwards.

The apex court also said there will be no grant of lease for mining around one kilometer of national parks and wild life sanctuaries. The court directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests to identify eco-sensitive areas around national parks within six months.

The bench said that the workers on rolls of all mining firms will be paid 50 per cent of the wage during the period for which they were out of work because of the apex court stay on the mining activity.

The court had banned the mining of iron ore in the state for nearly one-and-a-half years back.

Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today welcomed the Supreme Court decision to allow mining in the coastal state which was on hold since October 2012.