The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the Goa government following a petition challenging the environmental clearance (EC) granted for sand mining in the Mandovi River.
The Western Zone Bench of the NGT, comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and Expert Member Dr Vijai Kulkarni, issued the notice on June 16 and scheduled the next hearing for July 14.
The petition, filed by the Goa River Sand Protection Network (GRSPN), challenges the EC granted by the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (Goa-SEIAA) on February 3, 2025, to the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) for sand mining in Zone 5 of the Mandovi, near Khandola in Pondataluka. The EC covers a stretch of 4.3 hectares, with an annual extraction limit of 1,000 cubic metres per permit using traditional methods.
GRSPN has argued that the site falls within a Critically Vulnerable Coastal Area (CVCA) classified as CRZ-IVB under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2011, where sand mining is prohibited. The petition further states that the EC was granted in violation of CRZ norms, as the Goa-SEIAA did not obtain the mandatory recommendation from the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) before issuing the clearance.
The NGT bench directed that notices also be issued on the delay condonation application, returnable within two weeks. Meanwhile, the State government has approached the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), seeking an amendment to the CRZ Notifications of 2011 and 2019 to permit sand extraction under certain conditions.