The Goa government today expressed fears of environmental degradation due to ore lying at mining leases and storage points following ban on the extraction activity.Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Legislative Assembly here that there have been various major effects due to stoppage of mining activity in the state. Listing out eight major effects in a written reply,Parrikar said that unattended ore lying at mine head and storage points may cause grave environmental damage. The mining in the state was halted by the Supreme Court in September last year,ordering the Centrally Empowered Committee (CEC) to probe into the allegations of illegal mining as pointed by Justice M B Shah commission. Parrikar said that there has also been loss of revenue to the tune of Rs 564 crore in the form of royalty on ore exports affecting the mining business. There is less supply of water to reservoirs because of non-pumping of water from mining pits,he said. The emotional trauma of mining dependents and also increase in school drop-outs was also cited as effects of closure of mining activity.
