TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: While maintaining that the ban imposed by the Supreme Court on mining in Goa has had a telling effect on not only the State’s economy but also on its people as a number of Goans were dependent upon this activity for their livelihood, a government official said today that now the Supreme Court has taken up the matter pertaining to mining in Goa on a day to day basis, the State government has also taken necessary steps to ensure that mining can resume in the State in a short period of the apex court order if it gives any relief to the industry.
“The government had started the process of regulating and regularizing mining activity earlier; collecting and collating information and putting in place the required systems to ensure legal mining only takes place is done, now we are just waiting for the order from the Supreme Court,” the official said. The government spokesperson added that by finalizing the mining policy, the terms and conditions under which mining will be carried out in Goa henceforth have been clearly laid out. The Storage and Transportation Rules 2013 for mining have also been finalized and all trading licenses issued earlier have been cancelled and will now be issued under the new rules which are not only stringent but also very systematic not allowing any scope for any manipulations, is the government stand.
Henceforth, minerals shall be stored only by the leaseholder or the end user and no other person will be permitted to store minerals. A week from now, a system will be up and running to track vehicles transporting ore, whether trucks or barges, using GPS system, the official emphasized. He also pointed to the government’s self-declared resolve not to allow illegal mining activity, saying the administration has already declared 119 leases as lapsed and of the 40 cases of illegal condonation of delay in applying for renewals, one lease has already been terminated and the order on the remaining 39 cases is likely to be passed very soon.
In order to prepare for the future, including taking on board inter-generational capacity for mining in Goa, the government has engaged the services of NEERI for a macro-level environmental study of mining activity in Goa which is expected to be completed within three months. “This shows our commitment,” the official said, adding that all documents related to mining activity have been digitalized and the file movement is monitored electronically to ensure transparency.
Royalty payment system has been designed to relate the same with production and dispatch of minerals and transportation of ore will be strictly by trip sheets as per the new rules.
The government has promised that all renewal procedures will be completed within three months henceforth and said the Differential Global Positioning System survey of all leases has been computerized; this new technology allows the identification of the mining lease up to millimeter level.
The government has also taken on required staff to regulate mineral administration and the new software of the Mines Department enables it to regulate and even reduce the number of trucks on road if necessary, the spokesperson added.
