TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANIM: With construction activity and infrastructure development almost paralysed in Goa due to various bans imposed, on sand mining and earth excavations for bricks and roads, the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) urges the Goa government to put regulatory and licensing mechanisms in place so that these activities can resume at the earliest.
Reacting to the impact on the construction activity in Goa both in the private sector and public sector, chief of the GCCI Narayan R Bandekar said, “Since, the SC and MoEF directives restraining all from carrying out any digging activity without obtaining EC from a competent authority is applicable to all States, the ban is applicable to Goa also.
In Goa, this will adversely affect the construction industry and infrastructure development which is already almost paralysed in the State due to the ban on sand mining.”
Bandekar strongly felt that it is because States have not put the proper regulatory and licensing authorities in place that the indiscriminate extractions take place and when the Courts intervene it is the industry which suffers.
As far as sand is concerned, he said, the Goa government has identified certain sites and has already called applications for licences to extract sand.
He said, “We have requested the government to expedite the scrutiny of these applications so that sand extraction can begin as early as possible. We are also informed that the government has also allowed certain amount of sand to be imported from Karnataka.”
As for bricks, Bandekar pointed out that the local production is miniscule and that it hardly meets 15-20 per cent of the total requirement and that the balance comes from places like Khanapur in Karnataka. “Stoppage of this supply will completely paralyse the construction and infrastructure industry,” he feared.
The ban on digging for road construction, Bandekar opined will also stop all developmental activity as far as roads are concerned.
“We understand that due to these shortages, not many contractors are coming forward to participate in tenders for construction and infrastructure projects,” he pointed out while explaining the gravity of the situation in Goa.
He felt it was high time that the construction industry also starts looking at alternate building materials.
The GCCI chief’s reaction comes at a time when there is also growing pressure on the government from all quarters to move the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to relax its order banning sand mining which has , hit the construction business in Goa in a big way.
The NGT banned sand mining in August this year. Almost two months later it has banned excavations of earth for bricks and roads.
The government has moved the NGT seeking exemptions on sand mining from the NGT. In an affidavit it says that regulatory mechanisms have been put in place.
The NGT has been informed that the activity of sand extraction is undertaken by a certain community using age-old techniques and they depend on this activity for their livelihood. That the government will take steps to ensure that extractions are carried out within the parameters of the law, says an affidavit of the government ot the NGT.
The NGT has also been informed that zones are being identified in North and South of Goa for the purpose of sand extractions in a regulated method.
