PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa has ordered the State government to initiate criminal action against metal quarry operators in Sanguem taluka who, according to an affidavit filed by the Director of Mines and Geology, have been dumping quarrying rejects outside the lease area, as well as operating without environmental clearances.
“The state government/authority must consider initiation of criminal proceedings against the petitioners and respondents for extraction of basalt/undertaking quarrying either without any leases or in excess of the leased area granted to them,” the bench of Justices MS Sonak and Bharat Deshpande ruled.
The High Court also ruled that the State government cannot indefinitely keep applications for renewals pending while allowing the leaseholders to indefinitely benefit from the deemed extension clause present in the minor minerals act.
“We direct the competent authority/Director of Mines and Geology to dispose of the application for renewal of quarrying leases made by Respondent Nos. 10 to 13 as expeditiously as possible and in any case within three months from today. In disposing of such applications, the competent authority/DMG must take into account the legal and factual position...,” the High Court also said while also restraining the metal quarry operators whose licence has expired from undertaking any quarrying operations or dumping any material outside the lease area.
“The DMG to act on statistics and initiate action within 15 days against the leases for having dumped or otherwise encroached beyond the leased area within three months from today,” the High Court ruled.
