After Karnataka, there are now fears that a mining ban can be extended to Goa, as well. In an exclusive interview to CNBC-TV18, Justice MB Shah, former Supreme Court judge and head of the Shah Commission report, who completed the inspection at the Goa mines, says the report on the findings is all set come in the next 45 days.
"There is a large scale illegal mining conducted by transporting iron ore to the ports," Shah says. Further, he says most of the iron ore procured in Goa is exported and the export prices are 20 times more than domestic rates. Shah also cautions that a control on the iron ore exports is vital to control illegal mining. Below is an edited transcript of Justice MB Shah's exclusive interview to CNBC-TV18. Also watch the accompanying video. Q: You have just completed inspection of the Goa mines, as well to check for illegal mining there. What were your observations on that front? A: The observations at present are yet to be just synchronized. The people involved in extracting minerals have a strong lobby. In the secretariat public meeting, held by the department, representatives of minerals and mine owners took over the charge as soon as one person and said we should be allowed continue illegal mining or in any set of circumstances that illegal mining should be regularized. The reason being that their livelihood depends upon mining and further said that in any set of circumstances, there are number of persons who are transporting minerals from the mines to the pot area and those people would suffer if illegal mining is prohibited. In Goa, all the minerals extracted are exported. The export price is 20 times more than the market price in India. In such circumstances, large amount is amassed and as a result there is corruption at all levels. It is very difficult for us to say at present who are sharing this amount, what amount is being shared and therefore, at present we would say that it would be difficult to control this illegal mining. The other reasons are scanty staffs in almost all departments and in different states as well. In Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Goa there are less staff to be able to control illegal mining. At present in a secretariat meeting we have suggested that the names of those to whom the mining lease are granted is disclosed. In that lease area they should be permitted to extract the minerals. Main aspect is misuse of deemed extension. There is one provision in the act that once the renewal application is filed and is pending, the person is entitled to continue extracting minerals. Q: Is it possible for you to quantify the amount of illegal mining?A: At present it would be difficult because we have to yet analyze the information. The mining area in Goa is of 3,702 square kilometers and at present only 90 mining leases are in operations. Total colloidal length is 95 kilometer. The number of cases environmental clearances is granted for 55 million tonne. There are no clearances from environment, wildlife, mines and minerals, transport, export and others. We have to verify each and every case and that may take time. Within the next 45 days we are going to submit our report and that much time is required to analyze as well as for hearing the other side. The procedure to grant lease or renewal requires to be simplified in such a way that a committee of either environment committee or state government officers who have to grant renewal as well as the member of these wildlife committee if it is adjacent to the forest officer, should jointly see and decide the application within few days. Unless this is done, it will be difficult to control the delay in granting the renewal applications and misuse of this provision will continue. Q: When are you going to be submitting the report to the central government? When do you think this entire mining mess could be cleared up because it
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