Colamb Public Hearings official minutes

Proceedings of the Environmental Public Hearing held on 07/08/08 at 11.00 am at Shree Shantadurga Devasthan, Colomba Village, Sanguem Taluka, Goa, with respect to the following mines for renewal of lease:

a. Galiem Mola Ou Calzarigogo iron ore and manganese ore mine of Shri Vasantaram G. Mehta, T.C. no. 41/53, Survey no. 4(P), 5, 6, 10, 11, 12(P) and 13(P), Village Colomba, Sanguem Taluka.

b. Vatasur Manganese ore mine of Shri Vasantaram G. Mehta. T.C no. 46/51, Survey no. 4(P), 12(P), 13(P), 14, 15, 17-22 &24, Village Colomba, Sanguem Taluka.

c. Borgalle iron ore mine of M/s S. Marzook & Cadar pvt. Ltd., T.C. no. 18/56, Survey no. 37, 38, 63, 64, 150, 155, 156, 165, 166, 167, 169 of Colomba Village, Sanguem Taluka, South Goa

This public Hearing is conducted as per the Revised EIA Notification dated 14/09/06. the Addl. Collector – I, South Goa, Shri Prasanna Acharya welcomes the public for the Environmental Public hearing, and requested the public present to express their views/ objections/ suggestions if any, after the applicant gives its presentation, and the same will be recorded and forwarded to the concerned Regulatory Authority, for obtaining Environmental clearance.


The public raised preliminary objections for the conduct of today’s proceedings on the following grounds and those who raised preliminary objections are:

Shri Manohar Parrikar, Shri Mathew Antao, Adv. Savaikar, Dr. Avdhut Prabhudesai, Dr. Dattaram Dessai, Shri John Fernandes stated that:

• The company should have a valid mining lease for conducting the Public Hearing. This mining leases in all the three cases has lapsed and in view of the provision of section 4 (A)(4) of the Mines and Minerals Act. Since, this is a lapsed lease a public hearing cannot be undertaken for a lapsed lease.
• They all requested that the authorised representative of the mining company should clarify and produce documents regarding the validity of the lease, upon which the public hearing can proceed.
• Presentation should be done by the company official itself.
• The company should have a valid mining lease. This mining lease has lapsed in view of the provision of section 4(A)(A) of the Mines and Minerals Act. Since, this is a lapsed lease a public hearing cannot be undertaken for a undertaken for a lapsed lease. They all requested that the authorised representative of the mining company should clarify and produce documents regarding the validity of the lease, upon which the public hearing can proceed. There is no registered Power of Attorney with the representative of the mine owner.
• In future they stated if Public hearings are conducted in such a manner then the Public should be given compensation for attending the hearing.
• The company is using the Govt. machinery to get Environmental Clearance.
• Pollution Control Board should be fined for conducting the hearing without checking the documents of the mine owner.
• All the mining leases have since expired and they have no right to continue.
• All the people are cultivating fields and if the mine is allowed to operate where the people will have a livelihood.
• The representative of the mine owner does not have a valid Affidavit that he is representing the mine owner.

Hence, the Addl. Collector directed the representative if the mine to clarify on these issues. In spite of giving sufficient opportunity no representative of the Applicant, Shri Vasatram G. Mehta having T.C. no. 41/53 and 46/51 came forward to clarify the same on the two leases. In view of the above, the Public Hearing in the above two leases was adjourned.

With regards to M/s S. Marzook & Kadar Co. Ltd., Shri S.N. Naik came forward as their representative. However, he could not produce any documentary evidence to identify himself to be the representative of the Applicant.

In the meantime, it was observed that there were agitated rival factions within the crowd of about 500 persons assembled for the hearing, cross attacking each other and Police force of only 18 personnel with only one Police Inspector was present.

In such circumstances, it was impossible to tackle any eventual law and order problem. Taking into account the concerns regarding law and order problem, so also no preparedness seen from Applicants to satisfy the preliminary objections to the satisfaction of myself and to the objections, of the people present for today’s hearing, I was left with no option but to adjourn today’s hearing.

Shri Paul from Benaulim has made specific charges of corruption against the Addl. Collector and Goa State Pollution Control Board stating that they have received hefty sum of money from the Applicants for which they want to continue with today’s hearing.

A future date with respect to these three mines must be intimated to all the concerned by the Goa State Pollution Control Board.

The recorded minutes were accordingly read out to the public in English and Konkni and subsequently after receiving suggestions and as agreed were signed by the Addl. Collector – I, South Goa and Assistant Environmental Engineer, GSPCB.

Out of around 500 people present for the meeting only 46 no. of people signed the attendance sheet.

On this 07th day of August, 2008.

Sd/-
(Shri Prasnna Acharya)
Addl. Collector – I, South Goa


Sd/-
(Shri Sanjeev Joglekar)
Asst. Env. Eng., GSPCB