Environment Ministry rebukes Goa govt for not assessing, evaluating iron ore rejects

PANJIM: The Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has reprimanded the Goa government for failing to perform its statutory duty with regard to the identification, assessment, and evaluation of iron ore mineral rejects or dumps which are stacked outside the lease bound areas including private and government land.

The MoEF&CC’s Regional Empowered Committee (REC), Bengaluru during its recent meeting held on January 20, has slammed the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) and the Goa Forest Department. It has questioned DMG’s failure to perform its duty with regard to the Goa Mineral Policy 2013, which categorically speaks about the assessment of ore rejects.

On the other hand, the Forest Department is criticised for not making clear findings regarding the stability of the dump, lying on the forest land and how it is in the interest of flora, fauna, and wildlife to disturb the old dump instead of assisting its ecological restoration.

These developments come in the context of the Empowered Committee rejecting Forest Clearance to the State government’s proposal in favour of one mining company- who had sought extension or renewal in permission to keep the mining reject dump in the forest area of 4.9 ha in Dharbandora, the REC directed Goa to ensure that all proposals are “scrutinised thoroughly” before forwarding them to the Government of India, in future.

After REC in its last meeting directed the mining company to make a fresh online application for FC, the firm made a proposal for the diversion of 4.9 ha of forest land for the removal of ore rejects at Dharbandora before the State government, who later forwarded it to the REC.

The REC noted several discrepancies in the proposal including the one with regard to the quantity of material available and extracted. It has pointed out that the dump is nearly 42 years old and the satellite imagery shows a good amount of vegetation.

The Empowered Committee of the Union Environment Ministry,  had, on  February 17, 2022, directed the State government to produce data on the number of mining dumps in the forest areas and also whether any amount of such dumps have been disposed of. The REC also sought to know the procedure adopted by the government while disposing of the application or direct rejects from the forest areas. 

“The details sought by REC of all such dumps in forest area, whether disposed of, the procedure adopted, etc, are not provided,” REC said pointing out that the Goa Mineral Policy 2013 itself prescribes the DMG to clearly identify and associate the dump site, persons owning/responsible, permissions, etc. “However, the findings are absent”, it said.

The Committee was of a clear view that it is “important in the interest of the government for realising the proper value and to prevent illegalities, that the dumps are assessed properly by the competent authority of the Government of Goa”.

Has K’taka filed a reply to the Centre regarding concern raised on Kalasa-Bandura project? Goa govt clueless

PANJIM: The Goa Government on Thursday said that Karnataka has not made any submission to the Centre with regards to the concern raised over proposed Kalasa-Bandura drinking water project as the area is close to wildlife sanctuaries and falls within the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), 

Goa Water Resources Minister Subhash Shirodkar said that the State is not aware about any reply being filed by Karnataka in this regard before the Ministry of Environment and Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC). “We don’t think so they have filed any reply so far,” Shirodkar said. 

Stating that he has no idea on this, even the State Advocate General Devidas Pangam said, “We don’t have any information on this. If there was anything as such, the State would have received one copy as we had raised the concern before MoEF&CC.” 

Meanwhile, Pangam said that State will make a submission before the Supreme Court on Friday pleading for early hearing in the interlocutory application (IA) filed before it seeking to restrain Karnataka government from going ahead with construction work of Kalasa-Bandura dam project by diverting Mhadei water following Central Water Commission (CWC) approving Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report (DPR), last month.

“We will be pleading that the IA be taken up for hearing next week. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will fix the matter somewhere next week,” AG said. 

“We have filed some additional documents before the Supreme Court on the new DPR of Karnataka and conduct of the Karnataka government which wants to go ahead with the project despite the matter being sub-judice. We are placing it on record,” he added.  

The Deputy Inspector General of Forests (Central) M K Shambhu had written to the Additional Chief Secretary to Government of Karnataka, Forest, Ecology and Environment Department on January 5, 2023, pointing out that since the project area is close to Wildlife Sanctuaries/Eco-Sensitive Zone, specific recommendation and mitigation measures from Chief Wildlife Warden may be provided.