Economy | Mining
Arrest Goa's illegal sand miners, orders NGT
VISHWAS KOTHARI/TNN, PUNE | 12 September 2015 17:04 IST
The National Green Tribunal's (NGT) western region bench in Pune has directed authorities to take strict action, including arrest, confiscation of vessels' licences and use of armed police, against illegal sand miners in Goa.
The NGT bench of Justice V R Kingaonkar and Ajay A Deshpande was recently hearing an application by three north Goa residents.
It sought directions to curb rampant extraction of sand around the island 'Zuvom de Tuyem' in river Chapora between Camurlim and Arabo villages in north Goa without approvals, environment clearances and in violation of a nationwide ban on such mining by the NGT's principal bench in Delhi.
Total Comments :1
Extraction and sale of this sand goes on since many years. For many families, this is their only source of income and livelihood.
Unless alternate employment opportunities are provided for the people involved in this sand extraction, bans and arrests won't work.