24 Mar 2017 | 08:30pm IST
Dumping outside mining lease area is illegal: Eco Survey
Declaration in line with SC judgment on mining but in variance with Govt and MoEF moves to find ways to make dumping legal
PORVORIM: Even as the Union Ministry of Mines has legalised dumping of iron ore rejects outside the lease area with necessary forest and environment clearance, the Goa government in its Economic Survey tabled on the Floor of the House on Thursday, endorsed that ‘dumping outside lease area is illegal’.
“With regards to dumps and capping of fresh extraction of ore, an adhoc extraction limit of 20 million tonnes is allowed. However, dumping outside lease area is illegal,” the survey tabled by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, reads.
This, in a way is at odds with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests notification, after a representation of small mine owners through the Federativon of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI), that dumping outside the lease area may be permitted by the MoEF with conditions. The conditions itself made dumping outside the lease area almost impossible, since it states that the area used for dumping has to be non-mineralised and the dump size should not increase 30 metres. Both conditions are actually impossible in the mining belt of Goa
As reported earlier, nearly 750 million tonnes of ore are lying dumped in the State on forest, non-forest, government and private land.
The Survey states that 89 iron ore mining leases were issued renewal orders, of which 87 lease deeds were executed amongst which the adhoc production limit of 20 million tonnes is distributed. “After lifting mining ban, total 44 iron ore leases have started operation,” the Survey states.
As per government records, Goa is the first State to complete Digital Global Positioning Survey of 106 mining leases with authentication of plans.
For the current mining season, Rs 244.93 crore royalty has been collected on major minerals that include iron ore. Of this, from 2015-2017, an amount of Rs 86.68 crore has been deposited with the District Mineral Fund.
The government has conducted 18 e-auctions from February 2014 till January 2017, wherein it has sold 11.38 million tonnes of ore – generating revenue of over Rs 1200 crore. As per Supreme Court directions, an amount of Rs 118.68 crore is collected towards Goa Mineral Ore Permanent Fund.
