TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The State Government has decided not to finalize or notify the much awaited draft State Mining Policy 2012, pending the Supreme Court verdict on mining in Goa, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Tuesday.
Speaking to Herald Chief Minister said that there is no point in finalizing a policy when mining activities have been halted and expressed concern that the policy might be challenged before the Apex Court, if it is finalized before the Court passes its order.
“We have informed the Supreme Court about the draft mining policy. The final copy is ready with the Mines department but there is no point in finalizing the same and notifying it,” Parrikar said, adding, “We will wait for Court to pass its final verdict in the matter.”
Supreme Court halted all mining activities in Goa in October 2012.
The draft Mining Policy has recommended capping of ore exports to 45 Million Tones (MT) of which 25 MT can be tapped from the low grade ore piled as dumps, arguing that this was the carrying capacity of the present road infrastructure.
“I however, left a loophole open for an increase in the cap saying that in case there is better road infrastructure like dedicated mining corridors then the cap can be reviewed,” Parrikar said. The policy became a bone of contention between the State and Central Government over the handling dumps with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) objecting to government proposal to handle dumps.
According to records, State has around 750 million tonne iron ore stacked as dumps.
The policy was tabled in the House and made public just a month before State government suspended mining operations following Justice M B Shah Commission report on illegal mining in Goa in September 2012.
The draft policy also aims at conservation of the minerals for future generations and creation of suitable infrastructural facilities. It also states that a fair share of revenue collection from minerals will be utilised to improve the standard of living of those residing in mining areas besides taking steps, both regulatory and developmental, to ensure zero tolerance to illegal mining of any kind.
