Environment clearance to Goa miners indefensible: Centre to SC

Shah panel report indicted all miners saying illegal extraction caused a loss of Rs 35,000 cr

The Centre today conceded before the Supreme Court most of the environment clearance certificates (ECCs), granted to Goa mining firms during 2005 to 2010, were "indefensible" and action would be taken against private expert bodies that had conducted the environmental impact assessment (EIA) on miners' pleas for ECCs.

The apex court, which is hearing the matter on a day-to-day basis, also took strong note of pleas of mining firms that if the court is going to consider the findings of the Justice M B Shah Commission in its judgement, then they (miners) be also given opportunities to challenge the report.

The Shah panel report had indicted almost all the miners saying illegal extraction of iron ore during last 12 years had caused a loss of Rs 35,000 crore to the state exchequer.

Advancing his arguments for the first time in the case for Ministries of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the Mining, Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran said "I may concede that Environment Clearance Certificates (ECCs) were granted considering environmental impact assessment of private experts and most of them (ECCs) are indefensible."

"Which means, now you say that Environment Clearance Certificates (ECCs) are indefensible and the appraisals were done by the private experts body," the bench comprising justices A K Patnaik, S S Nijjar and F M Ibrahim Kalifulla, said and asked Parasaran to apprise it of actions taken on the issue.