Govt assures a new CZMP with people’s views
Plan to be drafted by Environment Department in consultation with CZMA, GSPCB, scientists PORVORIM: In a major victory to the people, the State government on Tuesday announced it woud draft a fresh
Herald (Panjim)
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New rules for sand extraction soon
PANJIM: In a categorical statement, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar declared that no additional or new forest land would be diverted for mining also indicating that new rules are in the offing for regulating extraction of minor minerals, including sand extraction. Leaving it to the administrative machinery to work out the logistics, Parrikar said, “the Forest Department will have to work out a policy on how to deal with existing dumps on forest land”.
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Special Gram Sabhas in Dharbandora appoint forest committees
PONDA: Special Gram Sabhas were convened in Dharbandora taluka on Sunday to appoint Forest Rights Committees under the Scheduled Tribes and other traditional Forest Dwellers Act (recognition of Forest Rights Act 2006 and Rules 2007). Each committee comprises 15 members of which five members have to be from the ST community. However, if there are no ST women candidate then five women members can be chosen from other communities. The act will help people residing in forest land or are using land for farming purposes to claim ownership.
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Centre to target mine owners promoting illegal mining
Ministry in process of amending rules. Guilty party to lose licence, debarred from obtaining any further licence PANJIM: As a major fallout of Shah Commission’s interim report, Union Mines ministry is working on amending the Mineral Concession Rules which will make mine owner lose his licence and would be debarred from obtaining any further licence, if he is found guilty of involving in illegal mining activity. Justice M B Shah Commission, during its first interim report had suggested this stringent measure to curb the illegal mining, which was accepted by the union mines ministry.
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Big land losers to get 30 year care under new acquisition policy
PANJIM: The Goa government is working to bring out at the earliest a Land Acquisition Policy that will protect the interests of those losing lands for various projects both for government and non-government. “This policy will protect the interests of those losing substantial land,” Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar explained. In this policy land losers will be taken care of for the next 30 years,” he said while replying to the House during question hour today.
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Plastic waste to be eradicated in phased manner, Alina tells House
PANJIM: Environment Minister Alina Saldanha on Friday told state legislative assembly that state will initiate phase wise eradication of plastic over next three years. The Minister said that the intentions of the government are ‘to phase out the domestic plastic waste in a phased manner over next three years’. She also said that necessary awareness amongst the people would be created educating them to reduce the use of plastic, in their day-to-day life.
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Collector to hear four mining firms’ applications on Saturday
The fate of the four mining companies which have applied for ore transportation will be decided on Saturday. District Collector N D Agrawal has fixed a hearing on the sensitive question of ore transportation on Saturday, which would finally seal the fate of the parties to the issue. Agrawal told Herald on Wednesday that while his office is in receipt of applications from four mining companies to resume ore transportation in the talukas of Quepem, Sanguem and Dharbandora, applications have also come in from NGOs expressing their reservations on mining transportation.
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Reginaldo demands white paper on illegal mining
PANJIM: Curtorim legislator Reginaldo Lourenco demanded a white paper on the issue of illegal mining in the state and from the functioning of the mining department. Speaking during his discussion on the budget, Reginaldo chided the chief minister for saying that there was no illegal mining in the state. “Illegal mining was one of the main election issues. I can show you the copy of the BJP election manifesto, in which it is said that illegal mining will be one of the issues. But today the chief minister has said there is no illegal mining,”
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Wagh condemns UK House moving motion on State’s environmental destruction
PANJIM: San Andre MLA Vishnu Wagh has raised the issue of an early day motion moved by a British MP asking the UK government to impress upon the Goa and Indian governments to rein in environmental destruction by the industry terming it as encroaching upon the sovereignty of India. Referring to a report which appeared in the Times of India, Wagh said that the tabling of a motion in the UK house was unacceptable. “This is a serious issue. We are living in a sovereign country. Let the British remember that they are no longer ruling us. You do not interfere in our issues. Let us maintain our sovereignty and let us maintain our right,” Wagh said.
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PCB decision on shacks flayed
MARGAO: Shack Owners Welfare Society has slammed the reported decision of the Goa State Pollution Control Board that shacks should not be allowed on the beaches unless there’s a solution to the garbage problem. Reacting to media reports, Society President Cruz Cardozo questioned the rationale behind the GSPCB decision, demanding to know whether the Pollution Board would order closure of all hotels along the coast pending a solution to the garbage issue.
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25 per cent of shoreline affected by sea erosion: water resources department
PANJIM: In an official admission of the gradual devastation of the Goa coastline, the Water Resources Department in its Performance Budget presented before the Goa legislative assembly has admitted that 25 per cent of state’s shoreline is affected with erosion caused by the sea. The document tabled on the floor of the House Tuesday has mentioned that 25.02 km shoreline is affected with sea erosion.