Govt to push for special CRZ relaxation for sand mining

PANAJI
As the resumption of legal sand mining hits a major roadblock due to the absence of CRZ clearance, the Goa government will soon approach the Union Environment Ministry to amend the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notifications of 2011 and 2019, allowing sand extraction activities to be carried out in the State.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will be writing to Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) Bhupender Yadav, requesting that Goa be considered as a special case and that a special relaxation — similar to the provisions extended to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where sand mining is permitted on a case-by-case basis for construction purposes — be granted.

This would be Goa's second attempt, after its initial move in April last year failed to gain the Centre’s consideration.

Speaking to The Goan, Mines Director Narayan Gad said that the department had in February made an application to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) seeking their NOC cum CRZ clearance for sand mining.

“We have to follow the conditions laid down in the EC, which clearly makes it mandatory to opt for CRZ clearance before issuing permits,” he said.

Gad said that the Chief Minister will be taking up the matter with MoEF&CC pertaining to CRZ relaxation for sand mining.

CRZ notifications 2011 and 2019 prohibit the extraction of sand in CRZ areas and sustainable sand mining guidelines are framed considering dry riverbed mining in non-coastal parts of the country.

A senior official said that the State will be seeking relaxation in lines with Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where sand mining is permitted on a case-by-case basis for construction purposes. The Union Territory had constituted a committee to consider the applications, following directions from the Centre.

According to the State, allowing regulated sand mining will not only revive traditional livelihoods but also ease the shortage of construction material in Goa, while still adhering to sustainable practices.

“In Goa too, our contention is that sand mining be allowed for the construction sector. We are anyway permitting sand extraction only through manual methods,” the official said.

In January, the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) granted prior ECs for sand extraction. The ECs, however, valid for a period of one year, are subject to the clearance from GCZMA.

DMG has received almost 185 applications for sand mining in 12 zones across Mandovi and Zuari rivers. The zones were identified based on the environment impact assessment study undertaken by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO).

Legal sand mining activities are banned in the State since 2018 following directions from the High Court and the National Green Tribunal.