Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: With the Goa State Pollution Control Board’s (GSPCB) consent to operate (CTO), mining operations from mineral dumps are prepared to begin with Chowgule and Company in accordance with the state government’s Dump Handling Policy.
The board gave its approval for Chowgule to hoist 5 lakh tons of dump ore in Sirigao. Chowgule is the first company to be authorized by the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) to handle dumps outside the lease area.
The enterprise must establish two ambient air quality monitoring stations in core and buffer zones and put in place measures to mitigate air pollution in order for the consent to be granted.
In order to stop soil erosion, the company must also install ground water monitoring in Mayem and Sirigao and cover the garbage dump slope with laterite and biodegradable geo-textile mats.
In addition to Chowgules’ approval, the GSPCB granted CTO to three iron ore mining leases at its 160th meeting: the Sirigao-Mayem mineral block II of Salgaocar Shipping Co., the Adwalpale-Thivim mineral block V of Fomento Resources, and the Monte de Sirigao mineral block III of M/S Rajaram Bandekar.
The SEIAA had previously granted the environment clearance (EC) to the three mineral blocks.
The dump management policy 2023 was updated by the government in November of this year, permitting the e-auction of ore that is located on different private properties. Thirty to forty dumps were found, and the land conversion price for the unclaimed ore had not been paid. The sale of landfills is expected to bring in between Rs 400 and Rs 500 crore.
After the ore is put up for e-auction, the government will pay the landowners a lease sum. Later on, the precise amount of the lease cost will be determined. The government had stated that the quality of the ore dumps would determine their pricing. Twenty businesses from all throughout the state had applied to the DMG to engage in dump mining.
