Restart of legal sand mining continues to elude state

NT Reporter

Panaji 

Legal sand mining in the rivers of the state continues to be prohibited in the New Year, with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) extending the ban on sand excavation activities to January 28, 2026.

Refusing to grant interim relief on its earlier order, the green court said that it is unconvinced with the explanation put forward by the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (Goa- SEIAA) on environment clearance (EC) granted by it for sand extraction in the Mandovi  and Zuari rivers.

“The directorate of mines and geology will not be allowed any sand mining activity in the area in question,” reiterated NGT during a hearing on December 8.

The tribunal granted four weeks time to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to file its reply and closed the opportunity to the South Goa district collector,  the Directorate of Mines & Geology and the Chief Secretary, Goa to respond on the matter.

The green court had previously sought explanation from the Goa-SEIAA, as to why impugned ECs were issued without obtaining a report from GCZMA. It may be noted that petitioner – The Goa River Sand Protection Network – had filed a complaint with NGT.

The petitioner not only demanded the cancellation of 12 ECs but also alleged that these were given in disregard of Supreme Court directives and without rigorous environmental studies.

According to the petition, the Goa-SEIAA did not evaluate the ecological impact of sand mining in the entire river clusters. The petition noted that one of the ECs, viz in zone 5 of the Mandovi river, near Khandola in Ponda taluka,  had permitted the removal of 1,000 cubic metres of sand per year by conventional manual methods.

However, the petition pointed out that the operation cannot be allowed even at such a low level since the river stretch is located in CRZ IV-B, a category designated as a critically vulnerable coastal area.

Based on the ECs granted by the SEIAA the Mines Department  had invited applications for permits in October 2024. Sand mining in the state continues to be banned for over six years.