PANAJI | Jul 06, 2015: If the Goa state pollution control board (GSPCB), while granting 'consent to operate' accepts the recommendation of the technical advisory committee (TAC), then mining companies which have not obtained forest clearances may not be allowed to carry out mining activities in forest areas. TAC has identified around 13 mining leases which are partly in forest areas.
"In case of those mines having part forest and part non-forest areas and have not obtained forest clearance, the consent to operate should be limited to non-forest area," TAC recommended.
TAC has also said that the mining leases are in clusters and their buffer zones are overlapping hence it is recommended that the lease holders carry out air monitoring at a common location.
"Air monitoring is required to be carried out at the nearest habitat and public places and also any habitation within the lease," TAC recommended.
GSPCB had inspected 61 mining leases, which are actually 34 mines before granting consent to operate under Air Act and Water Acts and prepared a report which was later placed before the TAC.
The TAC examined the inspection reports prepared by the officials of the board. The mining companies also made a power point presentation before the TAC covering all aspects of mining operations and environment management plan (EMP) which included locations for ambient air quality monitoring stations, water monitoring stations, locations of dumps, settling ponds, screening/beneficiation plants operated for processing the ore extracted in the lease.
The mining companies also presented before the committee the transportation route superimposed on google maps of the area through which the ore is proposed to be transported from the mine to the jetty/processing plants.
The TAC has submitted the report to the chairman of the board Jose Manuel Noronha who will place this report at the board meeting on July 10.
Out of 89 mining leases renewed by the state government, only 61 have been allowed to extract iron ore on a pro-rata basis, to fit into the 20 million tonnes cap on iron ore extraction fixed by the Supreme Court.
The ministry of environment, forests and climate change had revoked the environment clearance of 72 mines which was kept in abeyance following the Shah Commission report tabled in Parliament.
Mining came to a halt in the state in September 2012, after the Shah Commission's report on illegal mining was tabled in Parliament. In 2011-12, the Goa mining industry exported around 45 million tonnes of iron ore from the state.
Chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar had already said that the state government is hopeful of starting mining activities in Goa by September.
(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)