By IANS,
Panaji: A Goa government-commissioned study into the effects of mining on environment has revealed that the environment impact assessment (EIA) reports filed by mining companies are rigged.
Speaking to reporters in Panaji Thursday, Sujeeth Dongre, a convenor of the Centre for Environment and Education, an NGO which has been commissioned by the state government to carry out a study on the environmental effects of mining, revealed that the extension, renewal of mining leases in the 100-odd operational mining leases in the state were granted by the union ministry for environment and forests based on false data.
“We started the study in April (2011) and the report will be completed in two to three months. From initial analysis, it seems that the EIAs and the environment management plans (EMPs) filed by the mining companies contain false data,” Dongre said.
The objective of the EIA is to foresee and address potential environmental problems and concerns at an early planning stage of the mining project, while an EMP is a description of the means of achieving environmental objectives and targets.
Over 110 mines are in operation in Goa and 130 are awaiting clearance. Nearly 600 million tonnes of mining rejects are dumped in around 50 villages spread across the state’s mining belt.