TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Of the total 179 mining leases surveyed for mapping their distance from wildlife sanctuaries, almost 93 per cent of mines are found to be within 10 kms zone of wildlife sanctuaries.
Official figures show that 168 mines fall within 10kms of wildlife sanctuaries, of which, 45 are within 1.5kms, 28 are within zero kms while 18 fall within the wildlife sanctuaries.
The information was provided to the State Legislative Assembly by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who holds Mining portfolio. The details were revealed following a survey by Directorate of Mines and Geology, which submitted its report to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Parrikar was replying to the question tabled by Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco. The names of mining majors like Chowgule, Sesa Goa, Salgaocar and Timblo are highlighted in the list.
There are total of 18 mining leases that fall within the Netravali WLS in Sanguem Taluka. The list of mining leases was sent in a phased manner.
The State government has proposed a buffer zone of up to 1 km for Goa, while the proposed buffer zone for the rest of the country is 10 km.
State has around 118 mining leases in operation over the last five years, while there are 336 valid mining leases. The survey will include both operational and non-operational mines.
The Directorate of Mines and Geology survey was in view of the expert appraisal committee meeting for clearing environment clearances which had been suspended since October 2012, following the tabling of the Shah Commission report in Parliament that exposed an estimated Rs 35,000 crore illegal mining scam in Goa.
The Mines and Forest Departments had jointly conducted the survey to determine the distance from the periphery of the mining leases boundaries to wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.
