PANAJI
While the Goa Foundation has approached the Supreme Court of India seeking that the total cap on Goa's annual iron ore output be brought down from the current 20 million metric tonnes (MMT) to 12 MMT, the State government is preparing a proposal to send to the Ministry of Environment and Forests to up the cap from the current 20 MMT to 30 MMT.
The proposal, which is yet to be approved by the State government, includes an elaborate plan drawn up by the Goa State Pollution Control Board to mitigate any pollution that may result from the increased transportation of ore.
Sources have told The Goan, that a proposal to increase the production was deliberated upon by the Goa State Pollution Control Board recently, and a detailed letter sent to the Department of Environment. The State government will then deliberate and consider the proposal before sending it to the central government's Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change for its deliberation.
"This is not yet decided. It is pending with the government for a decision. The government will consult with the Department of Mines and Geology and take a decision," the source said.
Among the pollution mitigation measures that the Board is planning includes investments to the tune of Rs 40 crore in monitoring equipment.
The Goa Foundation has already approached the Supreme Court seeking that the mining cap be brought down from the current 20 MMT to twelve citing the fact that the State administration has been unable to control pollution especially within villages. They have cited the case of Sonshi village as an example.
