PANAJI
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has extended the interim ban on sand mining activities in Goa till April 23, after the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) informed the tribunal that sand mining is a prohibited activity within Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas.
In its order dated February 16, the NGT’s Western Bench directed that the ban will continue until the next hearing scheduled for April 23.
The tribunal noted that the GCZMA, in its affidavit, made it clear that the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) had proposed sand mining in CRZ areas, where such activity is prohibited.
During the previous hearing on January 28, the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (Goa-SEIAA) had informed the tribunal that the DMG had failed to disclose that the identified sand extraction sites fell within CRZ/ICRZ areas.
SEIAA stated that had the Mines Department clearly disclosed the CRZ status of the proposed sites, it would have insisted on mandatory prior clearance from the GCZMA before considering the grant of Environmental Clearance (EC).
Referring to the MoEF&CC’s Office Memorandum dated April 26, 2022, the bench observed that projects located in CRZ areas must first obtain recommendations from the GCZMA, following which SEIAA may consider the application for EC. “This procedure does not appear to have been followed in the case in hand,” the bench had remarked in the last hearing.
Meanwhile, during the latest hearing, the GCZMA tendered an unconditional apology for failing to file its reply affidavit on earlier dates and sought recall of the Rs 50,000 penalty imposed on it. The bench accepted the request and disposed off.
The NGT is currently hearing 12 appeals filed by the Goa River Sand Protection Network challenging the Environmental Clearances granted by SEIAA in February last year for sand mining in designated zones.
SEIAA has maintained that the clearance process took into account a report by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), including delineation of areas where sand extraction could be carried out with minimal environmental impact. However, it reiterated that the non-disclosure of the CRZ status by the Mines Department compromised the statutory clearance process.
