Ore exports: govt urged to demand share of revenue from Centre

PANJIM, JULY 30
A legislative panel has asked the government to demand a share of revenue from the Central government from the exports of iron ore.
“The committee is of the opinion that a dialogue be initiated by the government with the Centre to enable it to receive a share of export duty collection from export of iron ore out of Goa in view of the degradation of environment and its impact on the local populace, due to mining activities,” the estimates committee of 2009-10 on Mines department, chaired by Aldona legislator Dayanand Narvekar, has said in its report tabled in the House on Friday.
Further, it says, “in this regard grater efforts be made to get a special status for Goa.”
Further the committee recommends the government to pursue the matter with the Finance commission and other bodies to obtain more percentage o export duty for the state.
As regards the environmental hazards due to mining activity, the committee is of the opinion that the government has neither taken serious steps to curtail environment hazards nor has taken positive measures to reverse the damage done to the environment due to these mining activities.
The committee recommends taking measures to increase forest cover to offset deforestation in mining areas and avoid the impact on local population.
The committee further recommends that the government entrust job of assessing damages once again to know the impact of environment degradation till March 2010 to NEERI or some other agency.