Parsekar confirmed that the meeting, scheduled for Monday, has been cancelled as the Union Minister is out of India. He, however, said that the State will submit a detailed memorandum to the MoEF requesting that the issuance of ECs to mining leases be expedited.
“Government will submit a detailed memorandum to the Union Minister’s office. We would request that if they don’t want to lift the suspension of ECs, they should at least expedite the process on the applications filed by mining firms on a case-to-case basis,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that MoEF would also be informed about the State’s decision to lift the mining suspension order, imposed in September 2012. “We have already lifted the suspension last month. Now mining leases require ECs,” he said.
Following the MoEF communication last week, wherein it said that it cannot revoke the suspension on the ECs and would grant fresh ECs to the renewed mining leases, on a case-to-case basis, the chief minister had sought the meeting with the Union environment minister.
MoEF had on September 12, 2012 suspended the ECs of 139 mines in Goa.
