Supreme Court allows Goa request to carry out mine dumping activities | Latest News India

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Goa government to carry out mine dumping operations in the state, provided the government follows the recommendations of a six-member panel of experts in this regard.

“We will allow the state to carry out its mine dumping operations subject to the conditions laid down in the expert panel’s recommendations,” Judges BR Gavai and Vikram Nath said on Tuesday.

Goa’s Pramod Sawant government had asked the Supreme Court to relax the standards for iron ore mining, citing iron ore mining as a major source of livelihood for the people. All mining operations in Goa have come to a standstill, except for the period until March 2020. This has led to a severe economic crisis and has also affected the livelihoods of those dependent on mining,” the state government said. says.

Additional Attorney General KM Nataraj, appearing for Gore, asked the court to allow the waste mining activity, subject to the protective measures recommended by the Commission.

Goa has several mines scattered throughout the countryside, covering deposits that in the past were rejected by miners who were only interested in high-grade ore located deeper in the open pits. It consisted of waste soil and rocks. These dumps are located on public and private property.

Sawant said last year that it has an estimated 10-20 million metric tons of low-grade iron ore at various locations outside of its mining leases, which could sustain mining activity in Goa for the next four to five years. Goa’s mining sector contributed around 15-16% to Goa’s GDP in 2011-2012, but now accounts for only 2%.

An April 2015 expert panel report noted that dumps located in leased areas that are stabilized, covered in vegetation and do not contribute to the degradation of the surrounding ecosystem may be exposed to the depletion of existing ore in certain environments. It is recommended that the dump may only be allowed to be mined after it has been cleared. Subject to all logging, including environmental and deforestation, approved mining plans.

Goa’s miners’ association, who attended a hearing on Tuesday, said the restrictions ¥It affected 3,400 kroner in the treasury and 60,000 people whose livelihood depends on mining.

Senior Advocate Colin Gonzalves stepped up for these miners and demanded that they be paid partial wages for the time they were unemployed.

Since there were no objections to the state’s application, the same was granted, and other issues were deferred for consideration at a later date.

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