PANAJI: The Goa State Pollution Control Board has granted 21 mines consent to operate ignoring the fact that ambient air quality parameters exceeded for the months of November and December 2017 in some places.
For 11 among the 21 mines, the Board decided to grant a conditional consent with monitoring of ambient air quality parameters till March 2018 with air quality to be monitored thrice a week instead of twice which is presently conducted by the Board.
"The excess expenditure incurred towards the third monitoring will be borne by the mining units for that cluster for which the monitoring is being conducted," the Board decided.
The Board also decided that with adequate measures to contain pollution on transportation routes to be adopted like water sprinkling on the routes, road cleaning, wheel washing mechanisms, tarring of road shoulders with subsequent directions to the Directorate of Mines and Geology to regulate the mining transport and act on the Board's inputs of exceedances, if any.
For the remaining 10 mines in which the Board found that they have not complied with the compliance plan of action regarding short-term measures and medium-term measures as directed by the Board, it was decided that they be granted a conditional consent to these mining units with a time limit of three months to comply with the plan of action and submit a bank guarantee within 15 days of the conditional consent.
Three others mines who had failed to comply with the conditions of the consent informed the Board that their mines are not in operation and that consent conditions will be complied with before the resumption of mining activity.
Two other mines were granted an enhancement in their capping, subject to the condition that the ambient air quality along the transportation route is to be monitored by the Board.
The Member Secretary of the Board also informed the members that the show cause notice issued to 23 mines was dropped after seeking legal advice from the Board's legal team.
---------------------------------------
BUT WITH CONDITIONS
* For 11 of 21 mines, the Board decided to grant conditional consent with monitoring of ambient air quality parameters till March 2018
* Conditional consent for remaining 10 with time limit of 3 months to comply with plan of action and submit bank guarantee within 15 days
* Two mines granted enhancement in capping, subject to condition that ambient air quality along transportation route is monitored by the Board
------------------------------------------------------------
