Mining EIA by Indian Schools of Mines
PTI, PANAJI | 23 August 2011 23:26 IST
Jharkhand-based Indian School of Mines will conduct a study on regional environmental impact assessment (REIA) of mining in Goa region.
Union Minister of State for Environment Jayanthi Natarajan told Rajya Sabha today.
She was responding to a question tabled by Goa MP Shantaram Naik, a release said.
The study was sanctioned in March with the duration of 18 months and budgetary provision of Rs 2.02 crore being made, the minister said.
Naik was told that as per the figures given by Goa government, there are 83 iron ore mines operational in the coastal state which has witnessed protests due to pollution caused by the mining trucks.
Natarajan further informed that as per the information received from the state government, Directorate of Mines and Geology in Goa has suspended operations of seven mines in Goa.
Ministry of Environment & Forests has imposed a moratorium on consideration of the mining proposals for environmental clearance from the state of Goa under the provisions of the Environment Impact Assessment notification, 2006 till the Mineral Policy for the states is finalised.
Goa exported 54 million metric tones of the ore collecting a royalty of Rs 900 crore for the last financial year.
Today the Leader of Opposition in RS clearly said that the mining in the country is one area in which the returns to the State is very poor and that too at the cost of depleting of the Natural resources. He also rightly said that it was a very good source of generating huge profits and black money to private personnel engaged in the trade. He further lamented that there were no proper laws to control this trade.....Pathetic picture even after 64 years of independence......