PANAJI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has extended its interim relief on the ban of sand mining in Goa until the next hearing scheduled for April 23. This ban was originally imposed until January 28 after the Goa river sand protection network contested the twelve environmental clearances granted by state authorities for sand mining activities.
During the January 28 hearing, the NGT ordered a penalty of Rs 50,000 on the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) due to delays in submitting their response.
The GCZMA subsequently sought a modification or recall of this order. In its intervention application, the GCZMA offered an unconditional apology for the overdue reply affidavit and presented the necessary response to the NGT.
The network opposed the GCZMA’s application. Nonetheless, the NGT permitted the intervention, with the next hearing set for April 23.
The network had approached the NGT requesting the cancellation of the environmental clearances issued by the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, arguing that these clearances contravene Supreme Court directives and a January 2016 notification from the Union environment ministry.
The appeal highlights that permissions were granted for sand extraction along four river stretches without proper assessments of the overall impact.
In particular, extraction in zone 5 of the Mandovi river, near Khandola in Ponda taluka, is proposed over an area of 4.3 hectares, allowing the extraction of 1,000 cubic meters per annum per permit using traditional manual methods.
The appeal insists on revoking the environmental clearances, asserting that the area is classified as CRZ IV-B, a critically vulnerable coastal region. Sand mining is prohibited in such zones under the 2011 CRZ notification.
