Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Coal, iron ore extraction projects for next March

FAUSTINE KAPAMA in Dodoma
IMPLEMENTATION of the projects towards coal and iron ore extraction at Mchuchuma and Liganga mines in Southern Tanzania would start in March next year, the Deputy Minister for Energy and Minerals, Dr Medard Kalemani, said here.

He told the National Assembly that the projects were expected to be completed by July 2020 under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.
The deputy minister was responding to a basic question by Mr Deogratias Francis Ngalawa (Ludewa-CCM), who had said that the residents of Ludewa have been closely following up government plans on the projects, whose implementation they thought was long overdue.
He, therefore, wanted to know when the residents who had vacated their lands to pave way for the implementation of the projects would be compensated -- and when such projects would be implemented.
The deputy minister said that the residents were supposed to vacate their respective lands between May and August 2015 to pave way for the implementation of the projects, whose compensations were approved by government Chief Valuer in August 2015.
He pointed out that the process of paying the compensations is set to start in June this year under supervision of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.
The deputy minister explained that the projects at Mchuchuma and Liganga were being supervised by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment through the National Development Corporation (NDC).
He explained that the projects are integrated between NDC, with 20 per cent shares, and Sichuan Hongda (Group) Company Limited of China with 80 per cent shares through a partnership company -- Tanzania China International Mineral Resources Limited (TCIMRL).
The Deputy Minister pointed out further that the government issued licences for major extraction SML 533/2014 dated October 9, 2014, at Liganga area having 30.4 square kilometres and SML 534/2014 bearing the same date at Mchuchuma area with 25.46 square kilometres.
Such licences, according to Dr Kalemani, were issued for a period of 25 years and were expected to expire on October 8, 2039. He said that the company conducted valuation exercise of properties for the residents that were covered by the projects

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