PANJIM: Criticising the ‘Policy for Regulating Iron Ore Dump Handling in the State of Goa’, which was notified on Friday, environmentalists on Saturday flayed the State government’s move for contemplating to seek approval from the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for handling iron ore dumps lying within the forest areas, including wildlife sanctuaries.
Goa Foundation Director Claude Alvares said, “The government has come out with a policy, which has three pages of preamble. The government has not explained anything but just announced that this is the policy. Now under the Right to Information Act, the government is supposed to disclose the opinions and documents based on which the policy was framed.”
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He said the Goa Foundation had written to the government requesting it to notify the policy for objections and suggestions, but the latter refused to do so.
“They are interested in doing business. There is some setting going on. Some provisions have been drafted for former leaseholders. The government will allow the same people, who were responsible for putting up those dumps, to remove and sell them,” he said.
Alvares claimed that the new policy would benefit only those parties which had been habitually influencing the government and according to the Goa Foundation, were the “biggest thieves of mineral ore for the past 15 years as they were associated with the illegal mining”.
He further said the policy was in contravention of the first, second and third judgments of the Supreme Court.
“What is the use of putting up a preamble stating that we respect this judgment, that judgment but actually putting up a diversion,” Alvares said.
Criticising the government further, he said, “Basically the policy says we are not going to accept anything. The first judgement of the Supreme Court was based on the Goa Mineral Policy 2013, but today the government is saying it is not going to follow that policy. The government had submitted in the Supreme Court that it would implement the 2013 policy and based on that Supreme Court had passed the judgment. Now it says it cannot implement the policy. If it is so then it should inform the Supreme Court which may change its judgment and make it more difficult for the Goa government.”
Speaking on the iron ore dumps, he said, “These are not dumps. Everybody knows in July 2012, large scale illegal mining and concealment of iron ore took place all over the mining leases. A lot of ore was taken outside, and concealed, and a lot of things happened. They thought that they would get the leases back and sell it, but their expectations were belied. Now they want to take the ore back, somehow or the other.”
“The question is if the iron ore can be marketed now, then why was it not done in 2013 when there were the same conventions? As per the Supreme Court judgement any ore, which can be marketed, can go for e-auction because it is confiscated. Now if it is confiscated how can you give it to the parties?
Environmentalist Ramesh Gauns said, “The State government is not looking at the tragedy of Goa but at the tragedy of the mining lobby. There is very good understanding between the mining lobby and the government. Permission to handle iron ore dumps lying within the forest areas, including wildlife sanctuaries, will be a special privilege granted to the State of Goa, if the central ministry allows, and the money shall not exclusively go to the concerned dump holders but probably will be used for the 2024 general elections.”
Speaking further, he said, “The Central government does not seem to go by the rule of law. They will do whatever they want. It is sad that the State government is only looking for the betterment of mining leaseholders, instead of recovering Rs 35,000 crore, as per the Shah Commission.”
Gauns pointed out that it was necessary to check whether the iron ore was legally dumped or not.
“If not legally dumped then the government has to confiscate the entire iron ore dump and manage on its own,” he said.
The environmentalist alleged that the government wanted to favour the mining lobby as they did not get a chance to operate mines for the last six years.
“Since there is a backlog of earnings by the mining lobby the government wants to favour this kind of tactic. You did not get a chance to operate mines for the last six to seven years. Have this benefit we are giving you. This is the attitude of the government. It is not for the welfare of the people,” he said.
Gauns also questioned the legality of iron ore dumped in the forest or private land.
“We do not know whether the iron ore was dumped legally or illegally. The mining plan says that iron ore should be dumped within the mining area, including the waste material. If these dumps are within the mining lease area, it means there was much more than what was shown in the mining plan or the environment clearance or the environment impact assessment,” Gauns said.
He raised another crucial point: “If the iron ore dumps are in a forest area then who allowed the iron ore to be dumped there? Was permission sought from the MoEFCC to dump that in the forest area? The very first responsibility of the government is to declare that such dumps are illegal and proceed with legal action. If the dump is on private property then the private landowner may challenge and stop the State government from lifting it.”
The State government had notified the policy for Regulating Iron Ore Dump Handling in the State on Friday. The policy was approved by the cabinet last week.
