Panaji | Aug 13, 2017: While disposing the suo motu petition on the air pollution at Sonshi, the high court of Bombay at Goa directed the state government to ensure that all measures recommended by the Indian School of Mines (ISM) are complied with, in accordance with law, to control dust pollution.

ISM, in its report, submitted to Goa state pollution control board (GSPCB), has suggested short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions, including a new transportation route for iron ore at the Sonshi cluster and additional installation of air ambient quality monitoring stations, government sources said.

The high court has accepted the statement by advocate general Dattaprasad Lawande and considering, at present, there is some improvement in the grave pollution hazards at the concerned subject site, the high court passed the order.

"In view of the measures initiated, we find it appropriate to dispose the above petition by continuing the interim order passed in the order dated April 27, 2017, and directing the state government to ensure that all measures recommended by the ISM are complied with in accordance with law," the division bench comprising Justice F M Reis and Justice Nutan Sardessai observed.

On April 27, 2017, the high court, in an interim order, directed the concerned authorities to ensure that the subject road, to the extent the grievance raised by the villagers, is cleared off the ore and the dust, as expeditiously as possible before transportation of ore is permitted.

No doubt, this exercise of transportation would have to be undertaken after GSPCB takes a decision on the show- cause notices issued to the mining companies.

In case any grievances are raised in terms of the said order, the high court said that the pollution control board shall expeditiously dispose such grievances preferably within one month from the receipt thereof. During the hearing, advocate Shivan Desai, amicus curiae, pointed out that the affidavit, in fact, suggests that only after the court has taken suo motu cognizance, the GSPCB learnt about the measures to be taken to control the pollution at the site. However, the advocate general submitted that the measures were known to the pollution control board but in view of objections raised by the concerned mining companies, clarifications were sought from the ISM.

GSPCB had halted mining in Sonshi village, as it refused permission to 12 of the 13 mining leases to operate in the area due to air pollution. The dusty hamlet came into focus after 45 villagers were arrested by the police for stopping mining transportation on grounds of pollution after petitions made by them didn't evoke any response from government authorities.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)