Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The updated District Survey Report (DSR) would be taken into consideration by the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for awarding Environmental Clearances (EC) for twelve sand mining zones. These comprise the Mandovi River’s seven zones and the Zuari River’s five.
Before any final conclusions are made, the DSR will be open for public scrutiny for 21 days.
For a reexamination and a more comprehensive evaluation of the mining zones in both North and South Goa, the SEIAA returned the application for sand mining in the Zuari and Mandovi rivers to the Directorate of Mines and Geology and the South Goa District Collector in November. Consequently, the DSR was updated to answer the SEIAA’s questions and made available to the public on December 10, 2024.
Separately, a Sirgao citizen complained that the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) reports for Sirgao’s mining blocks I, II, and III were deceptive, erroneous, and inadequate. The SEIAA rejected the complaint.
After reviewing the EIA reports, the SEIAA observed that they were published on the Parivesh Portal and had been approved in compliance with the Environmental Clearances (EC) that had already been given. The Authority came to the conclusion that the reports met all the standards.
Additionally, the SEIAA noted that the petitioner had been given the chance to protest during the public hearings, and the case was later dismissed.
