Panaji | Oct 08, 2015: Sand mining which has been banned for the last two years in the state is likely to start next month.
Chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar said that the order renewing licences for sand mining will be issued on Friday wherein 88-90 licences will be renewed in the first phase. Only licences issued prior to 2011 will be renewed.
Speaking to the media, after meeting with officials of the mines and geology department, Parsekar said in the second phase, remaining licences will be renewed but not more than one will be issued per family.
Parsekar also said they have revised royalty charged on sand mining. The government has decided to charge royalty amounting to 10% of the gross scheduled rate (GSR) fixed.
After the national green tribunal (NGT) order two years ago, sand mining was banned in the state. There are 597 applicants in North Goa and 18 in South Goa. The state government was also pulled up by the NGT for alleged cases of illegal sand mining. The government's plea to exempt Goa from the ban on sand extraction as it has put effective regulatory mechanism in place, was rejected by NGT.
Since last three-four months the department of mines and geology in co-ordination with captain of ports and coastal police started conducting raids during the night to stop illegal sand extraction.
Earlier this year, government identified a total of 30 sites for extraction of sand in a bid to ensure scientific quarrying of the mineral for construction purposes. Some of the sites include, four in Dharbandora, three each in Salcete, Sanguem and two in Quepem. The rest are in Amona in Mandovi, Camurlim and Colvale in Colvale river, Keri and Ugvem in Tiracol, among sites, in north Goa, official sources said. This was decided at a meeting held in the Secretariat on Wednesday.
(Source: http://goacom.com/)