The State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) has requested additional information from two mining companies, Fomento Resources for its Adwalpale-Thivim mineral block V and Rajaram Bandekar for the Monte de Sirigao mineral block III, before making recommendations for environment clearance (EC).
The SEAC has asked the companies to obtain permission from the Water Resources Department (WRD) for groundwater withdrawal. They are also required to map circles of 3km, 5km, and 10km, marking the locations of groundwater, surface water, and air monitoring stations on the map. Furthermore, the SEAC has instructed the project proponents to prioritise local employment.
Additionally, the SEAC has directed both mining companies to plant shrubs and grass within the lease area to mitigate surface runoff, and to plant large canopy trees along the perimeter as noise barriers. As part of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the companies are mandated to fund research for college students and to construct a playground in the local panchayat area under the Build Own Lease Transfer (BOLT) contract.
Public hearings for the Adwalpale-Thivim mineral block V were held on March 15, and for the Monte de Sirigao mineral block III on January 18 of this year. Following these hearings, the applications for EC were submitted to the SEAC, which will then forward its recommendations to the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).
