Another interesting article on the Goa situation (not specific to MIL):
week.manoramaonline.com@@@
Down in the dumps
* Portuguese rulers granted 806 mining leases for perpetuity in Goa in 1906. Of these, about 600 concessions were converted to leases in 1987; and in 2007, about 300 applied for renewal of their leases. Currently, only 100 leases are operative.
* So far, the governments in Goa have failed to decide on the creation of a buffer zone, as more than two-thirds of the state (including two ports, Legislative Assembly, secretariat and several industries) would fall within it and that could spell economic disaster for the state. The Union government had suggested a 10km buffer zone around sanctuaries, while the state government has proposed a 1km buffer.
* Thanks to the small size of leases, mostly less than an acre, many leases were dumping their low-grade ore outside the lease area and sometimes in the neighbouring forest areas. Years later, these dumps were excavated, causing environmental pollution, as China and Europe developed capacity to use low-grade ore. The Shah Commission calls this act an “encroachment on forest lands”.
* After the ministry of environment and forest granted them special status in 2003, Goan miners were allowed to excavate minerals beyond permissible limits and receive environmental clearance on declaration of over-capacity production. It gave a free hand to miners, who were by then, making money by excavating and exporting ore from earlier dumps.
* The mining ban is expected to continue for another two years, as the Supreme Court has said that the ministry should frame guidelines for excavating minerals, transporting ore and dumping them.
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