Green clearance must for mining units: PCB

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, April 8

The state Pollution Control Board (PCB) has directed field officials to ensure that all existing mining lease holders obtain environmental clearance within six months.

The project operators have been asked to submit their applications within three months which will be dealt within six months by the authorities concerned. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the state to ensure that no mining activity is undertaken till environmental clearance is sought from the authority.

The environmental clearance has been made mandatory for mining lease holders to ensure scientific extraction of minerals with minimal loss to the environment. A lease holder is supposed to present an elaborate environmental impact assessment (EIA) report based on the measure to mitigate the adverse impact of mining on the environment. This report is first scrutinised by the state-level EIA committee and, if approved, then forwarded to the EIA authority before a clearance is granted to a lease holder on land less than five hectare. All other cases where the land exceeds 5 hectares, this clearance is granted by a central authority.

The failure of the lease holders to obtain timely environmental clearance has adversely affected revenue generation. Figures procured from mining officials reveal that in Solan district, nearly 50 per cent to 65 per cent decline has been witnessed in revenue in lieu of mining of minor minerals while in Sirmaur as against the usual revenue of about Rs 11 crore registered in the previous year, this figure declined to Rs 7.62 crore last year and Rs 8.08 crore this year till February.

With environmental clearance being a lengthy procedure encompassing various technical formalities, the lease holders had been finding it difficult to obtain it without fulfilling the requisite norms.

Ever since the NGT adopted a strict view on its compliance, the number of new lease holders has declined and even renewal of old ones is less.