Concern over ban on sand and earth excavations in Goa

Narayan R. Bandekar, president of Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), has expressed deep concern over the crisis faced by the construction industry due to the ban on sand extraction and also a subsequent ban on earth excavations for bricks and roads.

He has expressed the hope that the State government will react quickly to the situation and put regulatory and licensing mechanisms in place to remedy the situation.

“It is high time the construction industry looked for alternate building materials also,” he added.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had placed restrictions on sand mining and earth excavations on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The Goa Government had identified certain sites for sand mining and has called for applications for licences. “We have requested the government to expedite the scrutiny of these applications so that sand extraction can begin as early as possible. We are informed that the government has also allowed certain amount to be imported from Karnataka,” Bandekar said.

As for bricks, the local production is miniscule and according to industry sources, it hardly meets 15-20 per cent of total requirement and that the balance comes from places such as Khanapur in Karnataka.

Stoppage of this supply will completely paralyse the construction and infrastructure industries, he said and added that the ban on digging for road construction will stop all developmental activity as far as roads are concerned.

Recently, south Goa Congress MP Francisco Sardinha urged the Goa Government to move the National Green Tribunal (NGT) seeking relaxation in its order banning sand mining. He said the activity needed to be regulated and not banned.

The Goa Government had already moved the NGT seeking exemptions on sand mining, stating in its affidavit that regulatory mechanism have been put in place, said a senior official of State Mines and Geology Department.

In its affidavit, Goa has pointed out that sand extraction is a traditional activity undertaken by a certain coastal communities using age-old techniques and they depend on this activity for livelihood. The government has said it will regulate the activity be ensuring that extractions are carried out within the parameters of existing laws.