SC urged to follow alternate EC policy & mine auction

GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 17 September 2013 21:07 IST

Goa Foundation has urged the Supreme Court not to restore suspended environment clearances of mining leases in Goa on present terms but to evolve an alternate mechanism of setting up a multi-agency body.

The GF has also pleaded with the apex court to auction the existing iron ore or reauction the existing leases while imposing a cap on the extraction of iron ore.

While arguing the case GF has filed in the Supreme Court about Goa’s illegal mining, Adv Prashant Bhushan also made a 24-page submission, listing out several illegalities committeed in Goa and the recommendations made by the Shah Commission as well as the Central Empowerment Committee.

In its submission, the GF stated:

“Mining adversely impacts three assets of the citizens (including future generations): (a) the environment, (b) the water storage and filtration capabilities of laterite and (c) the iron ore resource.

However, only forests are protected by the CAMPA mechanism. The larger environment is not.

Therefore, this Hon’ble Court may be pleased to consider an alternative mechanism, a multi-agency body (SPV) that may look into the environmental issues raised in this petition and examine the clearances.

Without its overseeing, no environment clearance should be granted for this region. Existing ECs, now suspended, should not be restored, unless cleared by the agency and under the terms laid down by this Hon’ble Court after considering all the issues.”

The Goa Foundation has also stated that the ore export is for the benefit of China and not India, thus not necessary to be extracted at such a speed. Almost 50 to 60 per cent of India’s iron ore export takes place from Goa.

 

Quoting Shah Commission report, it has pointed out that the balance reserves of iron ore from the leases is around 577 million tonnes. At the present rate of extraction of 50 to 55 million tonnes per annum, these reserves would be exhausted within nine years.

With this pace, the GF has observed that India may not be able to meet the demand of Indian steel industry beyond 25 years as the country requires 115 to 130 million tonnes of iron ore while the extration is over 200 million tonnes per annum at national level.

The petitioner has also quoted report of the standing committee on coal and steel presented in the Lok Sabha on 29 August to review the policy of iron ore export. It has thus urged the court:

“Therefore, if mining is to continue at all in the future,

(a) the existing leases should be determined (as they do not maximize value to the State) and the State must either reserve all areas to its own operations (under Section [4A] of the MMDR) and auction off the ore that has already been won, or re-auction the leases after determination, maximizing their value;

(b) a ceiling / cap should be fixed on the amount of ore that may be extracted each year, depending upon the ability of the State to create alternative assets (of greater value than the ore/water/ecosystem) in order to increase the overall wealth of the people. In other words, the principle of intergenerational equity must be meaningfully implemented.”


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Previous Comments

Present-BJP CM and Ex-Congress CM has joined their hands to re-start Mining in Goa and to Construct Mopa Airport in Goa. Congress and BJP has become One. Now only one Party left for Goans to Save Goa and that is Aam Aadmi Party. AAP will Save Goa from Mining & Mopa. Less than 10% Goans are with Congress/BJP & Mining/Mopa. More than 90% Goans are with AAP. More than 90% Goans don’t want Mining & Mopa. Long Live Arvind Kejriwal.

- John Ferns, Goa | 18 th September 2013 16:24

 

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