Of illegal Mining in Goa

Rampant illegal iron ore mining in Goa has devastated the state, is much larger than the illegal mining in Karnataka.
The Union ministry of environment and forests granted green clearances to 162 mines near national parks and sanctuaries in breach of Supreme Court orders, a report by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) said. The SC’s highpowered environment panel also said the illegal mining was carried out allegedly with “tacit” approval of the previous Digambar Kamat government.
The report was presented by amicus curiae A D N Rao before a bench of Justices Aftab Alam, K S Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar.
The bench issued notices to the Union and state governments seeking their response to the report, which said, “A very large number of mining leases were being operated by persons other than the lessees and in flagrant violation of the provisions of mining law and in all probability with the tacit approval of the state government.”
The CEC said the state experiences plenty of rainfall which washes the sediments of iron ore mining to the rivers, choking and irreversibly damaging the sensitive Zuari and Mandovi estuaries complex, said to be the largest in the country.