NAVI MUMBAI | Dec 27, 2017: Confirming the worst fears of greens, the district environment appraisal committee (DEAC) that submitted a report on environmental clearance to 74 mines on Parsik Hill has noted, "The topographic map of Cidco shows hardly 15%-20% of the permitted limits were left unexcavated."

The committee, at its meeting on November 28, made several strong recommendations and proposed an action plan for future mining/quarrying operations.

The DEAC study of the hills and mines is in the wake of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order on November 14 following a petition by a citizen calling for a ban on mini ng as it has crossed permissible limits and is causing grave damage to the environment.

DEAC chairman, R T Prabhakar, told TOI on Monday, "The report has been submitted and is uploaded online." The next call will be taken by the Thane collector who heads the environment committee.

In its order, the NGT directed the Thane collector (who was a respondent in the case) "not to allow any quarrying activity without prior mining plan and environmental clearance".

Among other suggestions, the DEAC has also recommended a comprehensive environment management plan as well as a monitoring mechanism involving MPCB and Cidco authorities.

The committee has called for "independent third-party periodic monitoring on implementation of action plan on implementation of environment management plan".

The committee made observations about denudation of green cover and said the tree cover did not "feel sufficient to compensate the damage caused due to the present quarrying activities".

"We are not against development, but enough reserves are available beyond the Western ghats in the Deccan plateau. If the government can regulate the price of milk, it can do it for stone chips also," said BN Kumar, president of public relations council of India, which is campaigning to save Parsik Hill.

Namdeo Thakur, president of Navi Mumbai quarry owners association said, "We too care for the environment and the city, and are ready to shift and abandon the business here if Cidco provides an alternative."

Thakur said most of the 94 quarry leases were granted by Cidco way back in 1981-83. "I had written to the Cidco managing director some four years ago about conditional quitting of the mining activity. But, Cidco said it required quarrying to continue for city development work."

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