TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday said that Union Minister for Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar has assured that he would revisit Dr Kasturirangan committee report on Western Ghats.
The report has identified nearly 4,156 villages as eco-sensitive zones, including 99 villages in Goa. The Minister has also assured rationalizing of mining norms in eco-sensitive areas.
State government has urged the Union Ministry to allow phasing out of existing mining leases within one km of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks rather than stop them abruptly. There are 23 mining leases within a km of wildlife sanctuaries.
Speaking to media persons in Panjim on Tuesday evening after returning from his two-day Delhi visit, Parrikar said that Javadekar has assured that he would revisit the Dr Kasturirangan committee report completely, taking all the affected State’s into confidence. “Every State that is affected by the report has raised strong objections to the committee findings and recommendations,” Parrikar said.
“However, there is no need to drop the draft notification issued, based on the committee report. Government will think on it according to their discretion,” Parrikar said, adding that it will take him at least six months for the entire process to be completed.
There are total six states along the Western Ghats that have been included in the report – Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Parrikar, who is State Mines Minister, has asked the Centre to help resolve all issues related to mining including environmental clearances. He also urged the Centre to rationalize mining norms in eco-sensitive areas. “Within the next one month, government will take a final call on the eco-sensitive areas,” Parrikar said.
The chief minister said that the meeting with the Union Minister was very positive and fruitful. Various issues related to environment, including the ban of mining activities within a kilometre of national parks and sanctuaries, were discussed.
Earlier, emerging from the meeting, Javadekar said that Goa Chief Minister had taken some innovative measures to balance environmental protection and promote development.
“The government has heard his views and a decision will soon be conveyed, that will be in the interest of both environment protection and development,” Javadekar said.
Meanwhile, Parrikar in his meeting with the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday demanded that the State should be given its share of pending dues with the Central government which is of around Rs 300 crore.
“The State did not raise any fresh demands. What we want is whatever dues which are pending with the Centre should be given to us,” said a senior official. He said that State is expecting around Rs 300 crore from the Centre for reduction of Central Sales Tax (CST) for last three years.
