Goa government on Friday constituted a state-level coordination-cum-empowered committee to regulate the mining activity in the state, including giving clearances and curbing the illegal mining activity, official sources said.

The committee comprising 16 members is headed by the State Chief Secretary B Vijayan and has representation of the mining industry, state pollution control board, forest and Indian Bureau of Mines.

Justice M B Shah Commission, which had investigated illegal mining in the State, had recommended the formation of such a committee to regulate the mining activity in Goa.

The committee is mandated to streamline the permissions or no objection certificates given by the departments like Forest and Environment, sources said.

It will also act as a bridge between State and Central government departments, linked with the mining industry.

While putting in place the entire process, the committee is also empowered to form joint teams of all the concerned departments to conduct inspections on suspected places.

The terms of reference of the committee includes monitoring the process of approval of mineral concessions, verifying the trading activity, forming a mechanism to monitor the transportation of iron ore from loading to shipping point.

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