Greens slam Goa’s draft mineral policy

SEEING RED
Greens slam Goa’s draft mineral policy
Preetu Nair | TNN

Panaji: The state government is in the process of formulating a ‘Draft Mineral Policy - Goa’ which ostensibly lays stress on protecting the environment and on corporate social responsibility in the mining belt. But NGOs and environmentalists have come out strongly against it.
Government officials are tightlipped on the policy and refused to be drawn into any discussion on it.
“The government, it seems, has silently followed the diktats of the mining lobby and has prepared the draft to please mine owners. It allows mining in the same manner, this time under the garb of uplifting villages as part of social-corporate responsibility,” said environmentalist Ramesh Gauns, who has studied the draft policy. “Without taking into account the ground realities, no draft policy can be prepared,” he added. Saying that the policy had failed to impress, an incensed Gauns added, “This makes a mockery of the villagers and humiliates those affected by mining activity.”
Environmentalist Claude Alvares also showed surprise. “None of us working on environment issues in the mining sector have been contacted for preparing the policy,” he said.
According to Gauns, if the government was serious about its commitment to people, all it had to do was check whether mine owners have been responsibly carrying out mining activities. “Studies conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Goa assembly house committee report of 2000 say that mining has destroyed water bodies, paddy fields and created environmental hazards,” said Gauns. CRITICISM GALORE Mineral policy or mining policy?
Panaji: The ‘Draft Mineral Policy - Goa’, which environmentalists are criticising, looks quite harmless on the face of it.
It talks of corporate social responsibility and asks mining companies to provide infrastructure facilities such as drinking water, electricity, transport, telecommunication and health facilities in the areas of their operation. And the state government will share the costs of specific schemes.
However, these tall claims fail to impress environmentalists. “These things have long been on paper but in reality nothing happens. We have heard many such promises that never take off, even as the mine owners, often illegally continue work in complete violation of all laws and policies. It is a policy just to fool poor people,” said environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar.
He added, “The government on one hand talks about protecting wild life sanctuaries and water bodies, but at the same time they along with the mining lobby have destroyed much of it. Two examples of how mining destroys, is of the Kaley river in Sanguem and mountain peak Ravon Dongar in Canacona taluka.”
Criticising the government for bringing a “mineral policy” instead of a “mining policy”, environmentalist Ramesh Gauns said, “Talking about mining would have forced the government to take into account various sectors like environment, water bodies, people’s health and livelihood and whether the area in which the mine is coming up has any sustainability.”
The draft policy (a copy of which is available with TOI), which facilitates planned and systematic exploitation of mineral resources in a sustainable manner, has emerged taking into consideration the views of various stake holders - forest, mines and enviornment departments as well as the mine owners.
The mineral policy suggests that the cess amount collected could be used for the improvement of infrastructure and welfare development in the mining belt, which include health camps, scholarships for the needy, constructing approach roads and projects to increase the socio-economic development of the villages in the mining belt.
The policy states, ‘Water stored in abandoned pits should be used to meet the shortfall of the resource during the lean season and effective care also needs to be taken on dumps which are along side water bodies so as to reduce washoffs. Besides, use of explosives along the rivers should be discouraged, wherever possible and they should be replaced by ripping.’
The draft policy also dwells on proper rehabilitation of the area, once the process of economic extraction of a mine is complete.
The state government also adheres to the view that while it is necessary to earmark mining areas, no prospecting leases should be allotted in wild life sanctuaries and national parks or wetlands.
Besides, an environment management plan is being encouraged to adequately provide for controlling the environmental damage, restoration of mined area and planting of trees.