The Hindu : New Delhi News : Union Ministry urged not to grant licences for mining in Goa

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Tuesday, Feb 05, 2008
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Union Ministry urged not to grant licences for mining in Goa

Special Correspondent

‘It has become a major scandal that needs to be thoroughly probed’

NEW DELHI: The Goa Foundation has asked the Union Environment and Forests Ministry to stop granting environment clearances for iron ore mining in Goa.

The issue of granting clearances has become a major environmental “scandal” that needs to be thoroughly probe, Claude Alvares, Director, Goa Foundation, told presspersons here on Monday.

He also sought review of 70 clearances granted by the Ministry.

Petition

The foundation petitioned the Supreme Court in 2004 that 70 mines in Goa (in addition to several industries) were being operated without environment clearances required under the provisions of the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

After the Supreme Court ordered closing down of these mines, the lease-holders approached the Ministry for environmental clearances. Instead of using the opportunity to enforce its environment regulations and impose conditions on mining, the Ministry sought to support the mining lobby by speeding up the process of granting clearances, Dr. Alvares said.

Practically, all the mines were granted environment clearances within two years. Committees appointed to evaluate mining proposals were not permitted to visit any of the mines, he added.

According to Dr. Alvares, Goa’s iron ore mines had been implicated over the past several decades in large-scale destruction of forests in the ecologically sensitive area of the Western Ghats, degradation of agricultural fields, widespread pollution of water bodies and rivers and sedimentation of Mandovi and Zuari estuarine ecosystems. Mining activities were responsible for the damage to wildlife sanctuaries, disruption of water sheds, generation of dust and noise pollution, destruction of roads and increase in the number of recklessly driven overloaded trucks on Goan village roads, he said.

Despite this, not a single mining project was halted or stopped by the Ministry. On the contrary, mines with the worst environment records, those close to wildlife sanctuaries, those with criminal records, were able to get environment clearances and temporary working permits ahead of others, Dr. Alvares alleged.

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