PANJIM: Environmentalists have termed the State Government’s decision to allow handling of dumps of 25 MMT, annually, in the draft mining policy as ‘a sin bigger than that of Digambar Kamat government.’

Environmentalists see red in the decision to allow handling of the dumps, which they say, could result in extensive illegal mining in the State. “The decision to allow handling of dumps is like allowing illegal mining in a legal format,” said Ramesh Gawas, who has been fighting battles against several illegalities in the mining sector, for last many years.