Mining policy by mid-March: Digambar
GOANEWS DESK/PTI, PANAJI | 23 February 2010 23:14 IST
Jairam Ramesh with Digambar Kamat (Aug '09)
Goa government has decided to rush through the mining policy by mid-March.
On the other hand, there has been mixed response to the decision of the centre to impose moratorium on new mining proposals in the state.
"The mining policy for the state will be ready by mid-March", said chief minister Digambar Kamat today.
His announcement comes in the wake of a moratorium imposed by the centre on new mining proposals, in the absence of a mining policy.
Union minister for Forests & Environment Jairam Ramesh had yesterday sent a letter in this regard to the Goa chief minister.
The central ministry has also appointed Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to conduct Environment Impact Assessment of the existing mining leases.
Meanwhile, chief minister's office (CMO) today clarified to PTI that the letter by Mr Ramesh was in response to Goa government's request against allowing any more mining leases in the state.
"Chief minister Digamber Kamat earlier this month had written to MoEF asking that no new mines be allowed in the state," Suresh Walve, media advisor to Chief Minister, told PTI today.
He claimed that the chief minister was himself against allowing any new mines in the state.
The letter by Mr Ramesh however has received a mixed response.
Mineral Foundation of Goa has taken a very cautious stand on the issue.
"This decision will not affect existing mines in the state since they already have environment clearance," said S Sreedharan, chairman of the Foundation.
He expects a comprehensive mining policy by March end.
Environmentalists fighting a battle against mining menace however have welcomed the move.
"I am thankful to the minister for handling the issue in this particular manner. This will definitely regulate the rampant and uncontrollable mining activities in the state", said veteran environmentalist and national award winning teacher Ramesh Gawas.
Opposition leader Manohar Parrikar however feels that Mr Kamat has taken Mr Ramesh on a ride.
"The action is too late and too sheepish. If he really wants to act, he should investigate the environment clearances granted during the past two years," Parrikar told PTI today.
"I don't doubt the integrity and sincerity of Ramesh.What he has done is better than doing nothing. But I suspect that he was taken for a ride by Kamat," said the former chief minister Mr Parrikar.
The Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industries (GCCI) has gone to the extent of demanding life imprisonment to those involved in illegal mining.
"Illegal mining should be stopped forthwith with legal provisions for stringent punishment, including life imprisonment, for all those involved in illegal mining," GCCI has said in its memorandum submitted to state chief minister Digamber Kamat.
"Illegal mining is creating huge and irreparable damage to the state's ecology. Also the state is losing huge revenues on account of illegal mining," states GCCI president Ceaser Menezes, in the memorandum.
Let the new mining policy also discourage the mining menace which will destroy this beautiful state in few years! Let us not indiscriminately destroy the non-renewable natural resources in the form of minerals, which actually belong to the future generations!
Only for the benefit of a few privileged, destroying the quality of life of the common man is totally unethical, immoral and uncalled for!
Kudos to our chief minister. He cannot get SEZ out of goa after a lapse of two years. He is playing his fiddle while Goa is being destroyed by real estate mafia and illegal mines. Aam Aadmi is reeling under high inflation affecting all essential commodities and this Aam Aadmi CM has got his priorities right! He wants to formulate a mining policy for our state within the next two weeks so that some more villages can be ravaged and villagers deprived of their livelihood and driven out.
Full marks for his significant administrative skills. Where would Goa be without mining, legal or illegal?
Hi Peter,
As you mentioned to Mr Dessai about his whearabouts i.e UK, please refer the same to yourself, because you might get some benifits from the business although you stay away from these dust menance. We in here are really deprived from everything our ancestors had and we have to look for some unskilled jobs or try to go abroad. May be that's the case of Mr.Dessai. Even if the MInning companies who carry out their buisness on the road adjecent to one's house don't want to entertain the locals by offering him at least a tipper truck to do his life better. Anyway let's see if Mr Kamat has some consideration for those affected people.