Centre to revisit Goa's ecological zones issue

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has decided to have a relook at draft notifications for Goa's eco-sensitive zones.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had expressed concerns on iron-ore mining restrictions in these areas to the Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar.

After the M B Shah Commission report blew the lid off illegal mining in Goa, the previous United Progressive Alliance government had to step in to stop all mining. After Supreme Court orders, it demanded Goa mark eco-sensitive zones around national parks and sanctuaries. Mining and polluting sectors are banned in these.

Goa wanted the boundaries of the zones to be, at the most, 100 metres away from national parks and sanctuaries. But the Centre's draft notification put it at up to a kilometre.

Centre seeks states' help
Steel and Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has written to states seeking their co-operation for evolving a transparent system to allocate mines, according to a Press Trust of India report.

The minister is set to meet chief ministers of mineral-rich states to take their views on bringing changes to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, a statement said. Tomar is likely to meet chief ministers of Goa and Rajasthan on Thursday and Karnataka's on Friday, it said.

"The letter also enunciates the need to safeguard environmental concerns and clearly spells out that 'intergeneration equity' should not be compromised in the process of easing the mining sector," the statement said.