Destruction greets central empowered committee in South Goa - ToI

TNN | Oct 31, 2012, 04.00AM IST MARGAO: The Supreme Court's (SC) central empowered committee (CEC) extensively toured the mining belt of South Goa on Tuesday as part of its task to investigate the alleged illegal mining in the state as pointed out in the Shah Commission report. The panel, led by CEC chairman P V Jayakrishanan, and comprising members Mahendra Vyas and amicus curiae Siddharth Chaudhary, first visited the Sesa Goa-owned Codli mines at Dabhal near Sanvordem on Tuesday morning, and carried out a thorough inspection. Environmentalist Claude Alvares, the petitioner in the case filed in the apex court against illegal mining, also accompanied the CEC, and pointed out the many irregularities to the investigating team. Director of mines and geology, Prasanna Acharya, additional principal chief conservator of forests, Richard D'Souza, member secretary of the Goa state pollution control board (GSPCB), Lewinson Martins, and other senior officials, accompanied the team. The chief officer of the MMC, Srinet Kothwale, also accompanied the team, as, sources said, the CEC wanted to know the steps taken by the GSPCB against the errant mining firms during the last several years. Kothwale was the member secretary of the GSPCB before being posted as the MMC chief officer. A strong posse of policemen numbering around 100 and led by Quepem PI Santosh Dessai was deployed to provide security to the investigating team. The team then proceeded to the Cuddegal mine owned by Fomento, followed by a visit to mines located in the catchment area of the Salaulim dam at Kurpem and Tollem. Sources said that the team expressed disapproval over the extensive loss of forest cover, illegal encroachments on forest land by miners and dumping of mining rejects outside the lease areas. Sources also said that the CEC members, on observing the wanton destruction of environment due to mining, sought to know from the mines representatives their plans for restoration of land and forests. The team also checked for encroachments in the buffer zone and dumping of rejects outside the mining lease area, sources told TOI. The mining firms have been asked to submit their written explanation supported by documents to the queries raised by the CEC by Wednesday. Braving the scorching winter heat and the difficult terrain-parts of which had to be traversed by foot-the CEC members even trudged into the deep forests to verify the illegalities pointed out by the petitioner in the SC case. Significantly, after returning from a visit to one of the mines at Kurpem, the CEC team was overheard expressing its pain over the massive destruction of environment in the village due to the mining activities and inaction of the government in reining in the violators. The CEC team, it is learnt, will hear the stakeholders of the mining industry at the inspectorate of factories and boilers, Panaji, on Wednesday morning, before leaving the state later in the day. Acting on a PIL filed by the Goa Foundation seeking a probe into illegal mining activities in the state, the Supreme Court had directed the CEC to submit its report within four weeks. The next hearing before the Supreme Court is on November 2. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Destruction-greets-central-empowered-committee-in-South-Goa/articleshow/17027324.cms