TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Pending the Supreme Court judgment and report from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), the State government has decided not to renew or allow applications for mining leases, prospecting licences or reconnaissance permits in areas covered under previous concessions granted by Portuguese Government or leases under Mines and Minerals Development Regulation Act.
Directorate of Mines and Geology has started the process to return nearly 1,144 applications to mine owners, which were pending before the department since 1987. Goa has 12 Reconnaissance Permits, 683 prospecting licences and 93 mining leases application pending. The State also has 379 pending renewal applications as on December 2011.
Assistant director Mines Parag Nagarcekar said that as announced in the Mining Policy, government has decided to return the applications to the mine owners concerned. “Government is waiting for NEERI report and also the Supreme Court judgment,” he said.
According to the Goa Mineral Policy 2013, “No new prospecting licences or mining leases to be granted until a report by experts (NEERI) is in place with regards to impact of such leases on the Environment”.
Government in its Economic Survey 2012-13 had also stated that it shall not allow covering rejection of applications made for mining leases, prospecting licences or reconnaissance permits by persons who were involved in illegal mining.
