PANAJI | March 07, 2015: The Union mines ministry will take up the issue of pending environmental clearances, ECs, with the ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEF).

A K Mallik, under secretary, Union mines ministry, asked the state government to compile a list of non-working mines because of pending environmental clearances, forest and other clearances.

"The list should be segregated mineral-wise and clearance-wise with their present status, and sent to the ministry of mines," Mallik told the state government.

This issue will also be discussed at the quarterly meeting of the coordination-cum-empowered committee (CEC) on mineral development and regulation, to be held under the chairmanship of secretary (mines) on March 13, at New Delhi.

The mines ministry has directed the directorate of mines and geology to submit their comment on the recently-circulated draft policy on dump mining.

The state government has also informed the mines ministry that till February 26, 2015, 310 mining renewal applications are pending before the department.

The Goa government, in two different letters, asked the MoEF to withdraw the ECs that have been kept in abeyance since September 14, 2012, following the Shah Commission report on illegal mining being tabled in Parliament.

Chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar is likely to meet MoEF minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday to request him to withdraw the EC suspension.

The state government has renewed 88 mining leases. Once the EC is withdrawn, mining companies have to approach the Goa state pollution control board (GSPCB) to obtain consent to operate under the Water Act and Air Act before restarting mining activates in the state.

Mining activities in Goa came to a halt on September 10, 2012, after the state government temporary suspended mining activities in the state, following the Shah Commission report on illegal mining.

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