MoEF suspends environmental clearance of 93 mines in Goa

13 Sep 2012 Evaluate

Followed by the Shah Commission report, exposing an illegal mining scam amounting to around Rs 35,000 crore in Goa’s 90-odd operational mines, Minister of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Jayanthi Natarajan, suspended the environmental clearance given to 93 operational mining leases of the state.

The orders came after the commission noticed how the Central Ministry had not followed the regulations and gave a green signal for the miners to operate mining illegally for over more than half a decade. The clearances were given even when PM Manmohan Singh was the environment and forests minister from 2007-09.

Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan has said that the clearances were granted on wrong facts submitted by the state government and mine owners will have to file the documents, required for getting the environment clearances. Major mining companies like Sesa Goa, VM Salgaocar & Bro, Salgaocar Mining Industries, Fomentos, Bandekar Mines, Damodar Mangalji & Company and Chowgule Mining have been affected by the suspension of mining operations.

Earlier, Goa CM had suspended all mining operations and ordered a state-level evaluation of all the documents regarding the operations of these mines. Though, it is being said that the mining suspension may not have a huge impact since mining operations are halted during the monsoon season and the operations normally commence at the end of the month of September.

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