Team Herald
PANJIM: Lamenting that the economic activities are not in sync with the laws meant to govern them, Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral on Friday indirectly blamed the government and mining lease holders for the ongoing crisis that has hit iron ore sector.
The Minister also urged mining engineers to explore other minerals that can be produced adopting sustainable techniques.
“State government in 2012 stopped mining and subsequently the situation went from bad to worse. Constitution of India provides lot of laws, which need to be in sync with the economic growth. Economic activities and laws should go hand in hand, but in Goa, I don’t see that happening,” Cabral said. He added, “We are to be blamed ourselves, for what has happened (to the mining sector).”
Cabral said that when iron ore activities had restarted in November 2015, all precautions, including statutory clearances and lower production limit, were adhered to. “But despite that, because of a technical glitch, Supreme Court stopped us from mining and we are unable to restart mining as of today,” he said.
He said the government has been trying to see that mining activities restart at the earliest.
Cabral said that for sustainable mining, one has to be in sync with mother nature while undertaking
economic activities. “Everyone knows that iron ore has been the forefront of Goan mining but we know that there are other minerals that can be explored. I urge all the engineers and other technical people to explore it,” he said.
He also said that Goa, being a very small State, lot of activism takes place, but activists also need to consider the economic growth of the State and the country.
Cabral was speaking at the National Convention of Mining Engineers organised by the Institution of Engineers (India) (IEI), Goa Centre under the aegis of Mining Engineering Division and in association with Mining Engineers Association of India, Goa Chapter.
The two-day nation convention will conclude on Saturday, with experts finalising recommendations for sustainable mining and the way forward. The paper will be presented to the State government.
