THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday assured the House that he will direct the mamlatdars of all talukas to conduct a survey and draw up an 'inventory' of all illegal and abandoned quarries in their jurisdiction so these can be fenced and prevented from becoming watery graves.
Sawant said landowners will be held responsible to barricade these quarries and also putting up signboards warning of the danger.
The Chief Minister was responding to the debate in the House on the issue of recent incidents of drowning deaths in some of these un-fenced stone quarries raised via a calling attention motion moved by Sanvordem MLA Ganesh Gaonkar.
In his reply to the motion, Sawant also said that the Directorate of Mines & Geology has granted 74 leases for minor minerals -- 60 are Basalt leases, 12 for laterite and one each for Dolomite and Bentonite.
The chief minister also said that the lease conditions stipulate that the holder barricades the boundaries with a fence
Sawant also said that a fresh circular was also issued in June this year to all the operational leaseholders in which they have also been asked to report compliance.
Some have given compliance reports, including photographic proof, Sawant said, adding that all the 74 leases will be inspected by the Mines department and suspended wherever there is non-compliance.
Meanwhile, the administration has constituted 'flying squads' which will tackle the issue of illegal quarries.
These were constituted in August last year and are headed by the respective taluka mamlatdar, he added.
Sawant said several illegal quarrying operations were discovered by these flying squads and machinery has been seized in these cases. FIRs have also been filed, he added.
