38 mines face bleak future due to report on W Ghats
TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Of the over 118 working mines all of which have been deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, as on date some 38 mines including the 29 within 1 km radius of the wildlife sanctuaries will have no chance of re-starting operations due to the Kasturanjan report on Western Ghats.
However, the only escape route seems to be chief minister batting for mine owners saying he would challenge the report, if BJP comes to power in Delhi.
Also there have been some mines in Sirgao that have had a detrimental effect on the water supply there and people’s consent will have to be taken.
According to Goa Foundation, a majority of the mines that were working prior to the apex court ban had some sort of violation. But, there could be 8-9 leases ~ non Portuguese period ones ~ that could be relatively less complicated.
Also, the issue of quantifying and subsequent recovery of the value of the ore mined from 2007 to 2011 has to be taken up, with insiders saying illegalities could even amount to around a whopping Rs 65,000 crore.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, meanwhile said, the State government will come up with a transparent mining policy that will set to rest many current ambiguities with regard to granting of new leases, procedures to be followed and other issues.
Speaking to media, Parrikar, who welcomed the lifting of the ban on mining also said the modalities of penalties or prosecution of those found guilty of illegal mining would be established.
“We will come up with a transparent policy by June end, in which we will outline how applications will be treated and new licences granted,” Parrikar said adding it was not mandatory that auctions for new leases be conducted and there were no specific court directions in that regard.
Parrikar, however, said around 40 per cent of mining could start by November or as early as September even as he ruled out the creation of a Corporation to deal with mining on grounds that “government corporations provide huge scope for corruption.”
He promised to write off State’s debt with the money that has been recovered through all the processes resultant of the government action.
With the Supreme Court declaring all mining leases as invalid from 2007 onwards, at present there are no legal mining leases existing in the State as on date. Procedures to restart mining will now have to be started from scratch.
Meanwhile, some mining areas in Bicholim belonging to Sesa Goa as also their mines in Tivim and Sankhali and a small clusters of mines bought by Anil Salgaoncar could be in the list that could be activated first.
