Panaji | Dec 22, 2017: Iron ore transportation in Sonshi cluster will be cut by 25% to reduce air pollution due to transportation, a senior officer of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) said on Thursday. The decision has been taken based on the statement made by the directorate of mines and geology (DMG) at the 129th board meeting on Wednesday, he also said.
Earlier, at the 128th board meeting, it was decided to grant consent to operate to six mining companies. At the same meeting, the DMG was also asked for suggestions to reduce air pollution. Based on the department's suggestions, it was decided at Wednesday's meeting to reduce iron ore transportation by 25%. It was also decided that the showcause notices that had earlier been issued to the six mining companies will also be withdrawn.
DMG director Prasanna Acharya, in a letter to GSPCB said, if the data with regards to mining vehicular movement for last year is analyzed, on an average not over thousand trucks plied on this route with the exception of transportation involving more than 5,000 trips for three-four days before closure of transportation. "The air ambient quality also changes from season to season," he added.
Acharya said unless a seasonal threshold is not arrived at by monitoring and analysing data and modulating the number of trips by trial and error, it would not be prudent to cap the extraction limit.
The board has sought legal opinion on the way forward for the other six mining leases in Sonshi obtained under the 1994 EIA notification.
Mining in Sonshi came to a halt in April as GSPCB refused to allow 12 of the 13 mining leases to operate in the area after they were found causing significant air pollution.
The village 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 action.
Sonshi villagers were covered in red dust, and struggling with air pollution and water contamination till the high court directed the state to consider providing them potable water and ensuring that dust pollution in the village was brought under control.
(Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)