Green, sea-fringed and rich in iron ore, bauxite, silica, dolomite, china clay, fire clay, feldspar and graphite, Sindhudurg in the Konkan region of Maharashtra harbours the choicest gifts of nature.
The district, with Goa for a neighbour, can be developed into a tourism destination, but the State government’s immediate plan is to restart mining, triggering fears that the green expanses will turn into barren land.
The government recently granted permission for mining silica at Math village in Vengurla tehsil following the lifting of a moratorium on mining in villages not demarcated as ecologically sensitive areas by the K. Kasturirangan committee on the Western Ghats.Available official figures show 46 leases have been issued for excavation of iron ore, silica and bauxite over 1920.71 hectares of land. But the moratorium on mining in ecologically sensitive areas has prevented mining in most areas. Vengurla tehsil does not fall in the category.“It is one of the greenest districts in the State with a serene coastline, and if the government decides to go ahead with all these mines, then it may transform into barren land in no time,” says Stalin D. of Vanashakti, an organisation which is working against mining in Sindhudurg.
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The first mine in Math village is set to become functional after a gap of almost six years. The local people allege that despite the gram sabha declining to issue a no-objection certificate, the company has begun work.
Saswan Minerals and Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. will initially begin excavating silica on 19.14 hectares of the 31.765 hectares allotted. The environment impact assessment report says the company has decided not to touch the rest of the land as it bears mango and cashew trees.
On Saturday, the Vengurla municipality held a public hearing of its own to oppose mining. It is likely to pass a resolution on Tuesday against the project.
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The Math gram panchayat received an application from the company seeking an NOC on December 12, 2014 and the panchayat communicated that the certificate cannot be granted until gram sabha gives clearance to it. The gram sabha rejected the permission to the company on January 16, 2015.
“Despite that they went ahead and procured other permissions from the government,” Bhushan Nabar, a resident of Math, to told The Hindu.
Shashank Marathe, a local conservation activist alleged that the environment impact assessment report has not studied the impact of mining on water table depletion. “People survive on mango and cashew nut production here. The dust of silica will destroy the crop completely,” he said.
Mr. Marathe added that the water used to control dust is to be used from public water system. “We already suffer water shortage in summer here and now this company will take our share of water,” he said.
Despite repeated attempts to contact State’s Industries minister Prakash Mehta of the BJP, he remained unavailable for comment on the issue.
Sidnhdurg’s guardian minister and Minister of State for Finance Deepak Kesarkar of the Shiv Sena accepted that people of Sindhudurg are strongly opposed to restarting mining. “I am with the people. Their concerns are genuine, which have not been addressed. I will ensure that people will get what they want,” he told The Hindu .