Cracking down on illegal mining, the Department of Mines and Geology of Goa on Tuesday took a series of decisions, including the suspension of around 460 licences pending verification, and gave 15 days to all traders to submit documents.
The government planned to come out with a comprehensive policy by May-end, said the new Director of Mines and Geology, Prasanna Acharya, on Tuesday.
Porvorim: Petrol in Goa will be cheaper by Rs 11 from April 2, housewives with annual incomes below Rs 3 lakh will get a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 and the price of cooking gas has been fixed fo
Goa Governor K. Sankaranarayanan on Tuesday said his government would crack down on the illegal mining as also the mafias involved in such illegal operations in the State, and expressed his government's wish to reduce dependency of the Goan economy on mining.
Delivering the Governor's customary address before the newly-elected State Legislative Assembly on the second day of the Budget session, Mr. Sankaranarayanan admitted that mining had been a dominant industry, providing employment to a number of persons and contributing significantly to the exchequer earnings
PANJIM: State government appointed mining monitoring committee will begin inspecting 90- odd operational mining sites from April 1 onwards to ensure that the required safety precautions are in place.
Action in form of cancellation of mining leases would be initiated if companies fail to adhere to the revised safety norms, which has made it mandatory for mining firms to get the surface rights of the area surrounding their mining, which is likely to be affected with the mining activity.
PANJIM: While all eyes are now on Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to see what action he initiates to stop illegal mining, he has said that mining cannot go beyond sustainable capacity of the State.
Currently ore extraction is pegged at 55 million metric tons. This figure had come down to 30-42 million metric tons, said Chief Minister while replying to a question about how he would manage to make up for revenue loss once petrol price is brought down as promised by BJP in its manifesto.
PANJIM: The Union Mines ministry has asked Goa government to launch a special drive to clear the backlog of 1144 application of mining leases pending with them.
As per the quarterly report submitted by state government, Goa has 765 fresh pending applications which includes 12 Reconnaissance Permits (RP), 660 Prospecting Licence (PL) and 93 Mining Leases (ML).
PANJIM: Trouble seems to be far from over for state Congress Party, as Justice M B Shah Commission is preparing to submit its crucial report on illegal mining in Goa.
The commission in September 2011 had begun its investigation into illegal mining which lasted for over a month. It had observed large scale illegalities in mining, which was mushrooming in the absence of government machineries.
PANJIM: In a major set back to the mining industry, the Western Ghats Ecological Expert Panel (WGEEP) has recommended cancellation of 44 mining leases in and around the wildlife sanctuaries (WLS) in Goa.
The panel headed by Prof Madhav Gadgil has exposed existence of 44 leases in and around the sanctuaries, which need to be canceled permanently. “Most mining leases are located in and around WLS and forest areas.
Mumbai: An indefinite moratorium on new environmental clearances for mining in the ecologically sensitive zone (ESZ) in Goa and Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts in Maharashtra has been recommende
PANJIM: One of the State’s oldest mining company, Damodar Mangalji and Company Limited (DMC) has been issued a show cause notice by Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) for extracting ore beyond its permissible capacity.
The notice dispatched on February 8 has stated that the DMC owned Band Doncol iron ore mine in Pissurlem has violated provisions of Mineral Conservation and Development rule, 1988.
