Team Herald
PANJIM: Following a four-month-long suspension, the Sonshi mining cluster, consisting of 13 mining leases, will finally witness operations this season with Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) granting consent to the Kashinath Talaulikar mine.
The Board on Wednesday granted consent to operate under Air and Water (prevention and control of pollution) Acts to two iron ore mining leases with a total production limit of one million tonnes for the season.
The Kashinath Talaulikar mine at Sonshi (0.45 million tonne cap) and D B Bandodkar mine at Surla (0.50 million tonnes) were also granted consent. The mine owners have submitted bank guarantee of Rs 50 lakhs and 12.5 lakhs each towards environmental damage, if any.
These are amongst those 19 mining leases which were approved for grant of consent to operate by the Board during its meeting held on September 27.
The Board had last week granted consent to eight mining leases which belonged to Chowgule & Com Pvt Ltd (two leases at Costi and one at pale), G N Agarwal (Cavrem), Bandekar Bro (Pale), Madachem Bat Mines Pvt Ltd (Pale) and Matta-e-Dando Iron ore mines (Pale). The total production limit of these mines is fixed at 2.365 million tons, at a bank guarantee of Rs 2.62 crore.
Of the total 19 mining leases, seven were from Sonshi village. So far only one mine from Sonshi has been granted consent.
Sources confirm the mining lease belonging to Kashinath Talaulikar was not in operation during the last season 2016-17 and hence had no issue related to pollution unlike others. The consent to operate to other six mining leases would be granted once the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) submits probable action plan for reduction in ore production capacity. The operation of 12 mining leases in Sonshi was suspended on April 28, for causing serious pollution in the village.
