Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Jayashri Rajebhosale Vs State of Goa & Others dated 12/10/2020. The present case relates to the illegal mining of laterite stone extraction in Goa.

The state authorities had proposed environmental compensation of Rs. 25,000, saying that there was no parameter for calculation of environmental compensation in the laterite stone extraction matter.

Justice Sheo Kumar Singh said that if laterite stone extraction was continued without any consent to operate and without legal permission and calculation of EC to the tune of Rs. 25,000 was proceeded, it would act as an indirect permission and legalise the illegalities.

The NGT said that the Tribunal was "not meant to legalise the illegalities and this is not the way either to recover the environmental compensation or to measure for prevention of illegal mining and laterite stone extraction."

It was decided to transfer the case from Western Zone Bench, Pune to the Principal Bench of the NGT so that the quantum of environmental compensation in the cases of laterite stone extraction could be fixed. This would help the authorities concerned to adopt a fixed parameter.