MoEF is a corrupt ministry: Parrikar

PTI, PANAJI | 06 September 2012 22:30 IST

A day after officials of Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) began inspecting iron ore mines in the state, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar today said the exercise was aimed at "making money".

"If they are inspecting the mines, then they should also take action. Only inspecting and keeping quiet (thereafter) means asking for kickbacks," Parrikar said, talking to reporters here.

"MoEF is a corrupt ministry. They have given environmental clearances (to mines) by accepting bribes. Why were they quiet all these years?" he said, alleging that the ministry turned a blind eye to rampant illegal mining during the tenure of Digambar Kamat-led government in Goa.

MoEF should disclose full findings of the inspection on its website, Parrikar said, and blamed the Union ministry for the current mess in the Goa mining sector.

The MoEF inspection, which started yesterday, reportedly seeks to ascertain whether the rejected low-quality ore lying at mines is being exported in spite of a ban.

MoEF and central agencies such as Indian Bureau of Mines should regulate the mining in Goa more stringently, the Chief Minister said, adding that the state regulated only the storage and transportation.

Reiterating allegation of bribe-taking for giving clearances at MoEF level, Parrikar said in the places like Sanguem, where 80 per cent population was tribal, the Environment Impact Assessment by the central agencies declared that there were no tribals.

Parrikar also said that his government was very strict about ore dumps. Of the total 720 million metric tons of iron ore (mostly low-quality, export reject) in the dumps, only 150 MMT can be exported without damaging the environment, he said. 


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It is of no use that Parrikar talks of things that he cannot do, accusing the MoEF of corruption. Why does not deal with what he has the power to act upon. If he has the evidence for all this large scale corruption, why does he not bring to book those that are responsible for this act? Why is he not dealing with the matter of pollution that is taking place at Seraulim dam, by these illegal and legal mining companies? If he is serious about dealing with these corrupt miners, he will find great support from the people, who are suffering from the effects of their water being polluted. This poisoning of our water, is a slow genocide of the people of Goa.

- john fernandes, UK | 07 th September 2012 14:21

 

As far as I know , the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) are commissioned by the interested parties (the miners in this case), and are done by private consultants in Goa and sent to Delhi, to Ministry of Environment Forests. The ministry people in Delhi don't take the trouble to check if the EIA are genuine and if they present all the required conditions to mine according to law, they will give the OK. So the corrupt people are the aspiring miners and their EIA consultants in Goa, who fabricate the EIA and will write anything in the reports to get an OK from Central government. In fact a huge number of the so called LEGAL mines in Goa most probably got their licenses as result of false statements and pure lies in their EIAs documents. How do you explain that there are 19 mines around Selaulim dam? If you check the EIA I would not be surprised if the EIA said there is no dam anywhere near the site of the mine! Before CM Parrikar accuses the MoEF of being corrupt, he should check who did the EIAs for the mines in Sanguem....

- Carmen Miranda, London, UK | 07 th September 2012 03:38

 

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