Team Herald
PANJIM: The State government has issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to monitor, detect, and act upon unauthorized extraction of minor minerals.
Talathis shall be responsible to report any cases of illegal extraction of minor minerals within their jurisdiction to the Mamlatdar. The SOP has been formulated as per directions issued by the High Court of Bombay at Goa in April this year to the State government to submit a credible action plan to ensure or tackle the issue of rampant large scale unauthorised mining of minor minerals in the State. The Mamlatdar, along with local police, shall initiate action in the matter immediately and file a complaint, register FIR, if necessary. The Mamlatdar shall thereafter inform the Directorate of Mines and Geology, PWD, Department of Transport, WRD and Forest Department, for taking further necessary action, the SOP adds.
The PI shall be responsible to maintain a vigil and take action in cases of illegal extraction of minor minerals in his respective jurisdiction.
In addition the Directorate of Mines and Geology has been asked to conduct surprise inspections. Survey team from the department has been authorised to explore possibilities of utilising geo-mapping, Google images, other technologies in detection of visible unauthorised extraction and report to the in-charge of flying squads, which had already been constituted shall continue to function in terms of the said orders.