Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The granting of licenses for sand mining may take a backseat as the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (Goa – SEIAA) has referred the application for sand mining in Zuari and Mandovi rivers, back to the South Goa District Collector and Directorate of Mines and Geology, for reappraisal and proper determination of Zones of North and South Goa District.
Because there shouldn’t be any conflicts in the near future regarding the implementation and execution of the conditions imposed in the Environmental Clearance on administrative and geological matters, the Authority believes it is appropriate to refer the DSR back to the District Collector South Goa and the Directorate of Mines and Geology for reappraisal and for proper determination of the Zones of North and South Goa District.
After considering the fact that the District Survey Report (DSR), which was issued by the District Collector of South Goa, indicated a number of zones that are designated for the purpose of sand extraction, the authority made its judgment.
The Director of Mines and Geology had applied to the authority for prior environmental clearance for the mining of river sand in the villages of Borim, Shiroda, Makazan, Panchavadi, Amona and Piligaon, Khandola, Betqul, Navelim, Dignasur, and Kombai.
It appears that the DSR of South Goa mentions the Mandovi River’s Zones 1, 2, and 3, which are situated in the District of North Goa. According to the Authority, certain villages in the North Goa District, such as those in Zones 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the Mandovi River, appear to be mentioned in the District Survey Report (DSR) that the South Goa Collector prepared.
