Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has extended the temporary halt on sand mining operations in Goa until April 23, after being informed that such activity is not permitted within Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas.
In an order dated February 16, the Western Bench of the NGT directed that the interim stay on sand extraction would remain in force until the matter is taken up again on April 23.
The tribunal took note of an affidavit submitted by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), which clarified that the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) had proposed sand mining at sites falling within CRZ limits, where the activity is barred under existing regulations.
At an earlier hearing on January 28, the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (Goa-SEIAA) had informed the bench that the DMG did not indicate that the identified sand mining locations were situated in CRZ or Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) areas. SEIAA stated that had this information been clearly disclosed, it would have required the project proponents to obtain prior approval from the GCZMA before processing applications for Environmental Clearance (EC).
Referring to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Office Memorandum dated April 26, 2022, the bench observed that projects proposed within CRZ areas must first secure recommendations from the GCZMA. Only thereafter can SEIAA consider granting Environmental Clearance. The tribunal had earlier remarked that this prescribed procedure appeared not to have been followed in the present case.
During the latest proceedings, the GCZMA offered an unconditional apology for not filing its reply affidavit within the stipulated timeframe and requested the tribunal to withdraw the Rs 50,000 penalty imposed earlier. The bench accepted the apology and recalled the fine.
The NGT is presently adjudicating 12 appeals filed by the Goa River Sand Protection Network, which has challenged the Environmental Clearances issued by SEIAA in February last year for sand mining in selected stretches.
SEIAA has maintained that its decision to grant clearance was based on a study conducted by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), which identified areas where sand extraction could be undertaken with limited ecological impact. However, the authority reiterated that the failure of the Mines Department to disclose the CRZ classification of the sites undermined the statutory approval process.
