Prof. Madhav Gadgil, ecologist and D. D. Kosambi, visiting research professor of Goa University has opined that mining should not be resumed in Goa in an unusual hurry unless a proper assessment is carried out before granting environmental clearances.
When asked whether the Goa government is under pressure from miners to resume mining, Mr. Gadgil told The Hindu in an informal chat on the sidelines of a function in the city on Thursday evening that ‘it appeared so’.
“Instead of resorting to transparency, putting systems and mechanisms in place to regulate mining as suggested by Justice Shah Commission in its report on illegal mining, it is seen only worried over global market prices of low grade ore, which are down by around 50 per cent,” said an amazed Mr. Gadgil.
The State government had recently written to Centre to scrap export duty on low grade ore.
Mr. Gadgil, who headed the Western Ghats Ecological Experts panel, said that when government is now planning to resume mining activity by renewing mining leases, it is duty-bound to ensure that the past mistakes are not repeated and mining remains sustainable.
He charged the Goa government of suppressing his report on assessing quality of environmental impact assessment (EIA) submitted in the past by miners. His report had exposed how the environmental parameters had not been considered at all in the past while granting mining leases.
The report on research project on assessing quality of EIA, compliance of environmental clearance (EC) conditions and adequacy of environmental management plan (EMP) of mining industry in Goa was submitted to the present government in October 2013. This was a research project, the previous Congress government had commissioned the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) in April 2011.
“What Goa government has done with the report is, suppressed it, just like the Union Ministry who suppressed our report on Western Ghats,” said Mr. Gadgil under whose guidance the report was done by CEE. Mr. Gadgil insisted that it was the duty of government to make it public, so that mining companies know what needs to be rectified.
Citing cases of his EIA analysis, he criticised the governments for “no information” or “lack of information” over the extent of environmental destruction and loss of biodiversity and natural resources taken place in the mining areas due to rampant mining over the decades.
In reply to a question he said that EIA report disclosed that of a total of 105 operational mines (prior to Supreme Court ban), they managed to get EIA report of 75 mines, the proper assessment of which proved that most of the EIAs are based on false information, especially on natural resources.
