By IANS,
Panaji : Mining companies in Goa were up in arms Tuesday against the state government’s proposal to fix up to one km as a ‘buffer zone’ between their mining leases and wildlife sanctuaries. It will impact 4,000 jobs in the region, they claimed.
In a statement issued here, the Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association (GMOEA) said forests accounted for 38 per cent of Goa’s geographical area out of which mining accounted for less than seven per cent of the green area.
“The total forest area in Goa is about 38 per cent of the total geographical area. Of which, less than seven per cent area where mining happens is considered to be forest area and these mines have been accorded all the requisite government clearances, both at the state and the central level,” said GMOEA, which has been the voice of the mining industry in the state for several years now.
“Given the contiguity of forest land due to the topography of Goa, the cabinet’s decision to demarcate eco-sensitive buffer zones of 100 metres to one km around wildlife sanctuaries and national parks will have an adverse socio-economic impact in these regions,” it said.
The cabinet decision impacts nearly 4,000 jobs related to the mining and other ancillary industries, the companies claimed.
Over 30 mines operate in close vicinity of wildlife sanctuaries in Goa and have been in the news regularly over conflict between wildlife and mining activity.