Of the 89 renewed mining leases, 61 leases have been allowed fresh extraction, so as to meet the cap of 20 million tones extraction, as recommended by the Supreme Court. However, the State pollution authority has decided to inspect and consider only 10 leases in the first phase, as the other 51 leases, are caught in legal battles.
Of the 61 leases, 34 are before the Administrative Tribunal for challenging the Board decision not to renew their leases under the Water and Air Act in 2012. The leases will be heard by GSPCB before inspection as per the Tribunal order. GSPCB has been given three months time to hear and decide on this.
The legality of another 17 leases has been challenged by Goa Foundation before the Board. Goa Foundation pointed that these leases were renewed on January 12, 2015, the same day that the Mines and Minerals Development Regulation (MMDR) Act 1957, was amended via an ordinance that paved the way for auction of non-renewed leases.
“The balance 10 would be inspected by the Board from Thursday,” GSPCB chairman Jose Manuel Noronha said.
A six-member team comprising experts from the environment, technical and legal sections, have been constituted to carry out the inspection. “Two leases would be inspected daily,” Noronha said, adding that documents like their lease validity, environment clearance, mining plan and other approvals would be checked.
One of the conditions was installation of ambient air monitoring stations at lease sites. Till date there are 18 such stations installed in the mining areas.
