Mumbai | Feb 24, 2016: Following the Union government’s decision to decentralise environment approvals for sand mining, the state government has decided to streamline the process for the auctions of sand mines. This is in a bid to tide over the shortage of sand for the construction sector and rein in prices.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has set up District Expert Appraisal Committees and District Environment Impact Assessment Authorities to assess and approve all sand mining projects under five hectares at the district level itself. The project proponents had to earlier apply to committees at the state government’s level to the State Expert Appraisal Committee and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities for approvals resulting in delays, officials said.

With environment approvals simplified now, the state government has charted out a timeline for identifying sand mines for auctions, getting requisite clearances and auctioning them out, Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse said.

Accordingly, by June end, the government will ensure that sand mines have been identified for auction, procedures such as land surveys, and certifications from gramsabhas have been completed before the auction. Between July and August, the project proponent will have to secure environment clearances from the district-level committees. The state government will then aim to complete all other formalities by September end, for actual mining to begin from October 1.

Khadse said, “With every auction, we will give a mining lease of 12 months. In the last 15-16 years, the policies that were in place for sand mining, had left a lot of scope for illegalities and black-marketeering. Even the auctions were haphazard, and in many places influenced by the sand mafia.

Due to litigation, many places, especially in the Konkan area and Jalgaon, have not had auctions for years.”

The BJP minister said the move is aimed at increasing the availability of sand in the market and keeping the prices range-bound.

Besides decentralising approvals, the Union government in its decision on January 15 has also exempted certain type of sand mining projects from environment clearance.

For instance, mining to procure clay by families in the occupation of pottery for generations, to make tiles from mud, to remove heaps of sand and clay that accumulates on farm land, for works of the gram panchayat, desilting of water bodies and so on, are exempted from environment clearance.

(Source: http://indianexpress.com/)

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