60 Goa mines may resume work if ban is lifted, says CM

Panaji, April 24 (IANS) Of the 80 odd operational mines in Goa, 60 could resume operations after the Supreme Court-imposed ban is lifted, Chief minister Manohar Parrikar said Wednesday.

Parrikar said this while responding to a query during the question hour in the state assembly.

"Before the ban, there were around 80-81 mines operating in Goa. After the ban is lifted, we could have around 60 in operation," Parrikar said.

He added that the government would cancel recently renewed leases if the mining companies were indicted for violations of the environment norms.

Mining in Goa has been banned by the Supreme Court since October last year.

The ban was imposed following a petition filed before the apex court by an environmental NGO, the Goa Foundation, represented by senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

A judicial commission headed by a Supreme Court judge has hinted at a Rs.35,000 crore mining scam in the state.