Indian Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh has written an interesting letter today February 22, 2010 on mining to Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat . He writes as follows:
"Dear Shri Digambar Kamatji,
Please refer to your letters dated 4th February and 17th February 2010.
In response to the request you made, it has been decided to impose moratorium on consideration of mining proposals for environmental clearance under the provisions of Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 till the Mineral policy for the State of Goa is finalized and the Ministry of Environment and Forest is informed in this regard. I am advising the officer concerned to return all the proposals to the proponents which are pending for consideration and not to accept any new proposals from the State of Goa.
I also feel that time has come for a comprehensive environmental impact assessment of all the mining activities that has taken place and for which permissions have been given over the past few years. Such a study should also identify remedial measures. I am planning to ask NEERI, Nagpur to conduct this study and I am confident that I can count on your support in this regard.
With warm regards,
Sd/-
(Jairam Ramesh)"
Showing posts with label Mineral Policy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mineral Policy. Show all posts
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
CS to head panel for regulating mining activities in State
Herald Reporter
Panjim, Jan 16
The government has constituted a co-ordination-cum-empowered committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary for the purpose of regulating the mining activities in the State.
The other members of the committee are - Secretary Mines (Convenor), Chief Conservator of Forest; Chief Engineer; Collector, North Goa District, Collector, South Goa; Superintendent of Police, (South Goa); Regional Controller of Mines (Indian Bureau of Mines); Member Secretary (Goa State Pollution Control Board) and Director Mines and Geology (Secretary).
According to a government notification, issued by Rajiv Yadhuvanshi, Secretary (Mines), the Committee will effect co-ordination with Revenue Department for managing the land for purpose of mineral concessions.
It will ensure that the clearances/ NOCs/ Approvals are given by Forest, Environment and other Departments are streamlined way.
The committee is also empowered to monitor process of approval of mineral concessions and compliance with concession conditions.
It will ensure building up of a computerized database, effectively integrated with other State Level databases and issue directions for setting up joint teams for setting up joint teams of officials for conducting inspections in specified areas in which illegal mining is suspected and to ensure effective cessation of illegal mining.
It will also activate State Enforcement Machinery for checking illegal mining in non-grant areas and strengthen the revenue intelligence relating to commercial taxes, transport, mining royalty etc.
The committee will conduct verification of mineral trading and storage plots as well as mining boundaries.
It will develop mechanism for integrated monitoring of information on movement of trucks/vehicles/barges from mining areas/loading points to ports and correlating the same with the same with the production data in order to capture any spurt in mining activity.
The committee will also check compulsory registration of all the end users and issue of directives to the end user to mandatorily check the payment of royalty before purchase/ export of ore with penalties for violations, says notification adding, the committee shall co-opt any other member as deemed fit.
Herald, January 17, 2010, Panaji
Panjim, Jan 16
The government has constituted a co-ordination-cum-empowered committee under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary for the purpose of regulating the mining activities in the State.
The other members of the committee are - Secretary Mines (Convenor), Chief Conservator of Forest; Chief Engineer; Collector, North Goa District, Collector, South Goa; Superintendent of Police, (South Goa); Regional Controller of Mines (Indian Bureau of Mines); Member Secretary (Goa State Pollution Control Board) and Director Mines and Geology (Secretary).
According to a government notification, issued by Rajiv Yadhuvanshi, Secretary (Mines), the Committee will effect co-ordination with Revenue Department for managing the land for purpose of mineral concessions.
It will ensure that the clearances/ NOCs/ Approvals are given by Forest, Environment and other Departments are streamlined way.
The committee is also empowered to monitor process of approval of mineral concessions and compliance with concession conditions.
It will ensure building up of a computerized database, effectively integrated with other State Level databases and issue directions for setting up joint teams for setting up joint teams of officials for conducting inspections in specified areas in which illegal mining is suspected and to ensure effective cessation of illegal mining.
It will also activate State Enforcement Machinery for checking illegal mining in non-grant areas and strengthen the revenue intelligence relating to commercial taxes, transport, mining royalty etc.
The committee will conduct verification of mineral trading and storage plots as well as mining boundaries.
It will develop mechanism for integrated monitoring of information on movement of trucks/vehicles/barges from mining areas/loading points to ports and correlating the same with the same with the production data in order to capture any spurt in mining activity.
The committee will also check compulsory registration of all the end users and issue of directives to the end user to mandatorily check the payment of royalty before purchase/ export of ore with penalties for violations, says notification adding, the committee shall co-opt any other member as deemed fit.
Herald, January 17, 2010, Panaji
Sunday, August 30, 2009
CRZ and mining issues are linked, says Gauns
To make case before Union Minister
PANJIM, AUG 29
PANJIM, AUG 29
While residents from 8,500 dwellings affected by the CRZ notification are waiting to pour their cup of woes at a meeting in Verna on Sunday, award winning teacher and a strong anti-mining proponent Ramesh Gauns will make a presentation before the Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh to impress upon him that mining and CRZ issues were interlinked.
Gauns, who addressed a press conference on Saturday, said rivers, Zuari and Mandovi that have several loading points for iron ore have been facing indiscriminate dumping of ore over the years as a result of which both have got silted.
He maintained in Goa the tidal amplitude remains unchanged over a distance of about 40 km from the mouth of the river and runs into the hinterlands of the State. CRZ is applicable upto this distance and as per the notification barges dumping ore into the rivers were violating environmental norms, he stated.
Gauns said he has been given a time limit of 10 minutes to do his presentation tomorrow at the meeting where Jairam would be present. I will try my best to put this point forward, he mentioned.Further reinforcing his point he presented the Sarvan mine case in Bicholim, the only mining lease in Goa that existed on the flood-prone Bicholim River.
“The mine was not operated continuously for 20 years. Therefore, the lease should have been automatically terminated by the State Government as per the Minerals Concession Rules 1960,” he asserted. Gauns had petitioned the Delhi High Court against the order of the National Environment Appellate Authority that had dismissed his appeal against the mine. The HC directed NEAA to rehear the matter, which will come up on September 1.
He said in 1997 TERI had submitted in its report that mining companies were not following good environmental practices in Goa. If in 1997 the situation was such I can assertively say it is worse now, he maintained.
MINING POLICY: Gauns said the draft mineral policy of the State was all for the mining companies. I have analysed it and data availed by me talks of a huge number of mines, as many as over 825 mines, he added. He observed there was a total mismatch of figures as far as mining was concerned. “As per my study there are around 200 mines in operation, but the assembly reply states out of the 336 mining concession leases 163 have been given environmental clearances,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Goa Federation of Mines Affected People (GOAMAP) charged that the Ministry of Environment and Forest of lavishly granting environmental clearances to mining companies in Goa.
Convenor GOAMAP Sebastian Rodrigues, who also addressed the press, demanded for cancellation of all the environmental clearances and maintain Goa’s fading countryside from the exploits of mining.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Goa draft policy permits mining near sanctuaries
PANJIM, AUG 23
Even as 13 mines including six which are close to wildlife sanctuaries, are facing closure, the Goa government’s draft mineral policy interestingly allows mining in close vicinity of the already notified wildlife sanctuaries in Goa.
The draft mining policy which was tabled during the Budget Session of the Goa legislative assembly clearly advocates mining near the State’s wildlife sanctuaries, which are a part of the ecologically sensitive Western ghats, according to an IANS report.
“Mining leases/prospecting licences within close proximity from already declared wild life sanctuaries would be considered provided they adhere to additional safeguards and guidelines whilst operating so as to reduce any adverse effect to the environment,” the draft mining policy states.
After Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira gave an assurance to take action against illegal operations of mines, the Pollution Control Board issued closure notices.
Earlier the committee headed by Chief Conservator of Forest Sashi Kumar had named some mines which had blatant violation including operating without permission of the statutory authorities. The draft policy however, does not permit mining within wildlife sanctuaries and national parks ‘for the time being’.
“The State government is also of the view that while it is necessary to earmark mining areas, presently no prospecting leases should be allotted in wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. Similarly, no prospecting leases on wetlands should be allowed for the time being,” the document states.
The draft policy also aims to evolve a mechanism to ensure that numerous dormant non-operational leases issued by the Portuguese government, which ruled Goa, before the State was liberated in 1961.“A number of mining concessions are being kept idle for speculative purposes and future mining… The State government is also concerned with issues of conservation of minerals as well as sustainable development and as such would discourage opening existing dormant leases uniformly,” the draft policy states, adding that no such dormant leases would be permitted to work without an environmental clearance and forest clearance, wherever required.
Interestingly, while the State government’s draft mining policy clearly advocates mining within close proximity of wildlife sanctuaries, it also speaks of maintaining the ecological balance in the State.The draft mining policy is the brainchild of Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who is also the minister for mining, the agency report said.
“It would be the endeavour of the State government to ensure that mining activities do not create an adverse impact to the environment and ecology,” it states.
Herald, Panjim, August 24, 2009
Even as 13 mines including six which are close to wildlife sanctuaries, are facing closure, the Goa government’s draft mineral policy interestingly allows mining in close vicinity of the already notified wildlife sanctuaries in Goa.
The draft mining policy which was tabled during the Budget Session of the Goa legislative assembly clearly advocates mining near the State’s wildlife sanctuaries, which are a part of the ecologically sensitive Western ghats, according to an IANS report.
“Mining leases/prospecting licences within close proximity from already declared wild life sanctuaries would be considered provided they adhere to additional safeguards and guidelines whilst operating so as to reduce any adverse effect to the environment,” the draft mining policy states.
After Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira gave an assurance to take action against illegal operations of mines, the Pollution Control Board issued closure notices.
Earlier the committee headed by Chief Conservator of Forest Sashi Kumar had named some mines which had blatant violation including operating without permission of the statutory authorities. The draft policy however, does not permit mining within wildlife sanctuaries and national parks ‘for the time being’.
“The State government is also of the view that while it is necessary to earmark mining areas, presently no prospecting leases should be allotted in wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. Similarly, no prospecting leases on wetlands should be allowed for the time being,” the document states.
The draft policy also aims to evolve a mechanism to ensure that numerous dormant non-operational leases issued by the Portuguese government, which ruled Goa, before the State was liberated in 1961.“A number of mining concessions are being kept idle for speculative purposes and future mining… The State government is also concerned with issues of conservation of minerals as well as sustainable development and as such would discourage opening existing dormant leases uniformly,” the draft policy states, adding that no such dormant leases would be permitted to work without an environmental clearance and forest clearance, wherever required.
Interestingly, while the State government’s draft mining policy clearly advocates mining within close proximity of wildlife sanctuaries, it also speaks of maintaining the ecological balance in the State.The draft mining policy is the brainchild of Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who is also the minister for mining, the agency report said.
“It would be the endeavour of the State government to ensure that mining activities do not create an adverse impact to the environment and ecology,” it states.
Herald, Panjim, August 24, 2009
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