The fate of 45 mines in Goa hangs in balance with the environmental clearances granted to them by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) expiring and Centre imposing a moratorium on fresh approvals.
Adding to their woes are notices issued by the Goa State Pollution Control Board to all 45 mines asking them “why their consent to operate should not be withdrawn and mining operations on the leases suspended“. The notices were issued on November 3 and returnable by November 18.
An NGO, Goa Foundation, which had moved the Bombay High Court bench here seeking closure of the mines violating the norms, said “it is doubtful if fresh environment clearances can be issued to all 45 mining leases since there is an existing moratorium on consideration of environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa“.
The stay was imposed in February 2010 by Centre after Goa Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat, dashed a missive seeking ban on fresh clearances till the state mining policy is in place.
Most of the environmental clearances to the mines were issued between 2005 and 2006.
The coastal state is the biggest exporter of iron ore in the country. The state has exported 54 million tonnes of ore last fiscal, basically to satisfy the growing demand of China's steel industry.
The issue of iron ore mines extracting the ore without valid clearances is also being examined by the Justice M B Shah Commission, which is likely to submit its report on Goa's illegal mining industry, in a few days