PANAJI
Vedanta Sesa Goa hosted G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Coal and Mines, during his visit to Goa. The minister was hosted at Sanquelim Reclaimed Mines (SRM) located at Sanquelim, a sprawling greenscape ,sustainably reclaimed post closure of mining operations in the area in the 1990s.
Union Minister of Coal and Mines was accompanied by VL Kantha Rao, Mines Secretary, Govt of India, Dr YG Kale, Controller of Mines, Narayan Ghad, DMG, Goa, Dr Naresh Kataria, RCM, Goa, Pramod Badami, Chief Engineer, Water Resources Dept., among others.
The visiting group was received at the SRM by Navin Jaju, CEO, Vedanta Sesa Goa, along with other senior executives of the company. During the visit, the dignitaries carried out an on-ground tour of the Sanquelim Reclaimed Mine, and were conducted at segments comprising the SRM – Pisciculture Pond, Bamboo Pavilion, Nakshatra Garden, Charak Vatika, Butterfly Park and the Sesa Technical School.
The Minister was briefed on the methodology followed while sustainably reclaiming the erstwhile mine site, a process which involved successful collaboration between Sesa Goa and multiple state and National level agencies.
Interacting with the medla during the visit, G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Coal and Mines said, “In India, extensive mining activities pertaining to coal and a wide variety of minerals is carried out. It is imperative to also carry out Mine Closure Activity in a responsible manner. This is essential from an evironmental stand point as well as in terms of creating employment opportunities for locals. Here in Goa, I have come to see the Mine Closure Activity carried out by a private entity and Vedanta Sesa Goa has accomplished this in an ideal manner.”
Speaking on the occasion, Navin Jaju, CEO, Vedanta Sesa Goa, said:
"At Vedanta Sesa Goa, we believe in responsible resource utilization, ensuring a positive environmental and social impact.”
Sanquelim Reclaimed Mines are an outcome of a massive multi agency project undertaken by Vedanta Sesa Goa in the 1990s. Once operations closed at the Sanquelim group of mines due to the uneconomical nature of ore, the SRM project was conceptualised at a time when no legislation existed for companies to reclaim erstwhile mine sites. Sesa Goa embarked on this unique Project and sought and received support from multiple agencies.
