PANAJI
The Goa government told the Bombay High Court at Goa that it will not grant a final environmental clearance to the mines falling in Caurem village until the forest rights claims submitted by the community have been settled.
Filing his submission in response to a petition filed by Gauda, Kunbi, Velip and Dhangar (GAKUVED) Federation, Advocate General Devidas Pangam said that the State would also endeavour to dispose of the forest rights claims within one year.
The GAKUVED had approached the High Court seeking an order or direction to the relevant State agencies to expedite the process of settlement of the forest rights claim of the villagers of Caurem in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Forest Rights Act.
The petitioners also sought that until the forest rights claims of the villagers of Caurem are settled, the State through its various agencies should not process the applications for Environmental Clearance submitted for mining of minerals in Survey. No. 19/0 Caurem village, Quepem taluka.
The GAKUVED said that the recommendations of the Forest Right Committee of Caurem Village made on July 23, 2015, are pending consideration by the Sub-Divisional Level Committee - Quepem-Goa and sought that the court direct the Sub-Divisional Level Committee to dispose of the matter within a time-bound period.
In response, the advocate general told the court that the committee will take a decision on the recommendation within one year from today and that the further process will also be expedited.
However, when it came to keeping the environmental clearance process on hold, the advocate general told the court that the approving agency will “continue with the process of considering the application for grant of environmental clearance but no environmental clearance will be granted until the community claims in terms of recommendation dated July 23, 2015, are finally decided one way or the other under provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
“By accepting the above statement, we dispose of this petition,” the bench of Justices M S Sonak and Bharat Deshpande ruled.
