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A day after the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) asked 19 mines to close their operations for failing to renew their consent under Water and Air Pollution Control Act, Government agencies here are unsure about who will monitor and implement the ban.
The GSPCB Chairman, Mr Simon de Souza, told PTI that the copies of the notices are sent to State Mines and Geology Department to ensure that the mine managements close their operations.
Mines Dept stand
The Mines Department, on the other hand, says that it is not the authority to implement the ban under Water and Air Pollution Control Act.
“We are not the policing authority. We can't go after each and every mine to make sure that they have implemented the order,” Mr de Souza said adding that the board does not have the manpower to check the mines for compliance of the order.
“We don't know who will be ensuring the implementation of the order but we have sent copies of the notices for the State Mines and Geology Department, who will have to act,” Mr de Souza said.
The Mines officials, however, point to the rule book stating that they are not the authority under Water and Air Pollution Control Act.
“Statutory powers under Water and Air Pollution Control Act lies with the Pollution Control Board,” said Mr Hectar Fernandes, Senior Geologist, State Mines and Geology Department.
“The powers of mines department are under mining law,” he said. The department officials said that the only way by which one can know whether the mines have stopped the operations or not is through the monthly extraction report submitted by the mines.
Mr Fernandes said that during the monsoon, there is no activity happening on the mine except for export of a few lumpy ore.
Meanwhile, GSPCB said the notices to the remaining 16 mines would be issued during this week. Mr de Souza said although the notices are issued to bulk mines, they are being served individually.
“We have to go through the documents submitted by them for the renewal of consent. The notice will examine the documents and specify which are the NOCs or documents that are yet to be submitted by the respective mines,” he said.
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