Govt prepares plan to execute public purpose projects in Goa

Parrikar and Javadekar discussed the mining issue and key environmental issues related to it

An action plan was ready to execute public purpose projects in Goa's ecologically sensitive areas without violating the rules, regulations and court orders, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said today.

The Minister said this after his meeting with Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar who raised the issues arising from the ban of mining activities within a kilometre of national parks and sanctuaries.

"Today we discussed the mining, the river pollution and other issues related in the light of Supreme Court decision. The Centre also wants to adhere to rules, regulations, laws and the judgment but still go ahead with the public purpose projects. Therefore, we have charted out the plan and we will go ahead with it," Javadekar said.

"It is a new mechanism which is found very useful because we can fast track the decision-making after taking correct perusal of all the issues in its totality," he said.

This was Parrikar's second meeting with Javadekar seeking help to resolve all the key environment issues related to mining and other development activities in the coastal state.

Last month, the Goa Chief Minister had asked the Centre to take initiative for rationalising mining norms within one kilometre of national parks and sanctuaries in the state.

In April, the Supreme Court, in the wake of the recommendations of the Justice Shah Commission, partially lifted the 18-month-old mining ban in Goa and allowed 20 million tonnes of iron ore to be extracted annually.

Production of iron ore in Goa before the ban was about 45 million tonnes a year.

The apex court had categorically said there can be no mining activities within 1 km from the boundaries of national parks and sanctuaries in Goa.

The court had banned operations in all 90 mines in Goa from September 2012 after the Shah Commission pointed out illegalities in the industry.