74 mines on forest department radar in Goa

After suspending the operation of 13 open cast mines because they lacked the requisite clearances, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has asked the forest department to seek more information on 74 other mines operational in the state. In a letter addressed to the state chief conservator of forest, GSPCB Chairman Simon D’Souza has asked whether these 74 mines have obtained ‘required forest and wildlife permissions and clearances stipulated in the Forest Conservation Act’.

Speaking to reporters here Friday, D’Souza said GSPCB would not hesitate to take action against the mines in question if they were found operating without permission. ‘We are awaiting a response from the forest department before initiating further proceedings,’ he said. Illegal mining has been the subject of debate in the state over the last few months and figured prominently during the recently concluded monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly.

A high level committee appointed by Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat has already indicated that nearly half of the state’s mines were operating without crucial permissions and sanctions required from various government departments.

The Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) has repeatedly alleged that several cabinet ministers in the Congress-led alliance government were involved in illegal mining. Manohar Parrikar, leader of the opposition, has also alleged that nearly 18 percent of Goa’s 33 million tonnes of iron, manganese and bauxite mining exports were fed by illegal mining. There are presently more than 100 mining leases in the state.