By the way, mining is still banned in Goa

TEAM HERALD

PANJIM :Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar hadn’t probably realised this when he said with nonchalant bravado that mining would start in  two or three months. The suspension on all mining activity imposed by his predecessor Manohar Parrikar on September 11 2012, remains and neither Parrikar and now Parsekar have said one word on lifting that suspension.

Meanwhile as Herald has maintained and reported, none of the mining leases which have been cleared for renewal have been executed by the government

The Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) on October 5 issued an order for renewal of 13 mining leases who had paid the stamp duty for second renewal of their mines, renewal due since 2007. 

“Government needs to revoke its suspension order before we go to MoEF for ECs. That can happen only once the lease deeds are signed,” MD of Salgaocar group of companies, Shivanand Salgaocar told Herald.  

DMG has issued renewal order of four leases belonging to V M Salgaocar & Bro Pvt Ltd. Salgaocar said that currently only the lease renewal orders are issued but the leases are yet to be executed. “We are clueless as to when the leases would be signed and when the suspension would be revoked,” he said. 

Parag Nagarsekar, assistant director of the Department of of Mines and Geology, had a cryptic response “The process is on”.

The government has six months time to sign the lease agreement with the lessees, within which the mine owner has to obtain all relevant clearances including ECs.  

The DMG had issued order for second renewal under Section 8(3) of Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act, 1957. The leases include: V M Salgaocar & Bro Pvt Ltd (four leases), Sociedade Timblo Irmaos Limitada (two leases), Chowgule & Co Pvt Ltd, Sesa Goa Ltd, Lithoferro, Geetabala Manohar Naik Parulekar, Rajaram Bandekar Pvt Ltd, Kunda Gharse and G N Agarwal. 

But this order is a mere piece of paper.

The Supreme Court in its order of April 21, in the writ petition of 435/1 commonly known as the Goa mining judgment, clearly said that in the existing circumstances there was no cause for removing the Goa government’s suspension of mining

Para 71 of the order states:  The deemed mining leases of the lessees in Goa expired on 22.11.1987 and the maximum of 20 years renewal period of the deemed mining leases in Goa expired on 22.11.2007 and consequently mining by the lessees after 22.11.2007 was illegal and hence the impugned order dated 10.09.2012 of Government of Goa and the impugned order dated 14.09.2012 of the MoEF, Government of India are not liable to be quashed”

It is clear that the court left it to the government to frame a policy for mining according to the Supreme Court guidelines.  A “policy” of sorts” was issued but neither Parrikar or Parsekar have gone ahead and lifted the suspension.