Fate of 40 mines to be decided today

PANJIM, MARCH 3
The fate of 40 mines in the State, that had sought permission for consent under Air and Water Acts, would be decided on Friday by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).
GSPCB Chairman Simon de Souza said that 40 mine owners had applied for renewal of licences but the Board had held them back because they either lacked forest or wildlife clearances.
“We had called these operators for hearing wherein they were asked to produce valid documents and licences”, De Souza said adding opinion has also been sought from the Board’s legal counsel over the matter.
De Souza, who heads the GSPCB Board of Directors, will place all documents along with the legal advice before the members on Friday.
The 17-member Board comprises public representatives and Government officials.
The Chairman said that there were several mines in the State which were operating without the Board’s consent.  He, however, refused to elaborate.
Mines operating sans proper consent under air and water pollution Act had come to light after GSPCB in September, last year, had received applications from several of the 104 mining lease holders seeking ‘renewal of consent to operate under these acts’.
Also many other applications were pending before the Board for various reasons.
The Board had received direction from the State Government to clear all the applications. The issue had also figured in the State Legislative Assembly session.
Following initial scrutiny, the Board had issued show cause notices to 26 mining companies in the first batch. These companies did not have supporting documents like clearance from forest and wildlife and few others had not paid the proper fees. The Board later went on issuing notices as it scrutinized more applications.
The decision of the Board on Friday will decide the fate of these mines, many of which are already facing severe opposition from the locals.
In the latest case, locals from Cavrem-Pirla had laid siege of Director of Mines office demanding shutting down of the mine, which was operating without GSPCB consent.