‘Decentralization of Environmental Clearance for Sustainable sand Mining and Mining of Minor Minerals Introduced’: Javadekar
‘Decentralization of Environmental Clearance for
Sustainable sand Mining and Mining of Minor Minerals Introduced’: Javadekar
The
Government has announced that the process of granting Environmental Clearance
for sustainable sand mining and mining of minor minerals has been
decentralized. The Ministry has created District Environment Impact
Assessment Authority (DEIAA) for proper monitoring of sand mining. In
consultation with the State governments, the Ministry has also prepared
guidelines for sustainable sand mining.
Addressing
a press conference here today, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of
Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar, said that the
Ministry has taken several policy initiatives and enacted environmental
and pollution control legislations to prevent indiscriminate exploitation of
natural resources and to promote integration of environmental concerns in
developmental projects. The Minister said that one such initiative is to
formulate the policy for mining of minor minerals with special emphasis on
sustainable sand mining. He also said that information technology and
information technology-enabled services will be used to track mined out minerals.
The movement of mined out material and sand will be controlled through Transit
Permit. The security feature of Transit Permit include, printing on IBA
approved MICR paper, Unique Barcode, Unique QR code, Fugitive Ink Background,
Invisible Ink Mark, Void Pantograph and Watermark. Information technology
tools such as bar coding and SMS will be used to monitor the mined out material
from source to destination.
Shri
Javadekar also added that amendments in Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)
Notification, 2006, have been notified in the Gazette of India, vide SO
No. 141 (E) on 15.01.2016. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change had published a Draft Notification vide SO no. 2588 (E) on
September 22, 2015 on Environmental Clearance for mining of minor minerals,
including sand mining, inviting comments from the public.
The Notifications inter-alia brought
out the following:-
1. For the first time, Environmental Clearance power
of the Ministry is being delegated at District level Committee headed by District
Magistrate or District Collector for mining lease area upto 5ha for individual
lease and 25ha in cluster.
2. For the first time the procedure for handling
cases of cluster defined and also for one cluster one EIA/EMP and one public
hearing to be conducted.
3. Four-member District Level Environment Impact
Assessment Authority (DEIAA) is responsible for grant of environmental
clearance for Category ‘B2’ Projects for mining of minor minerals, for all the
districts in the country. TheChairperson of DEIAA will be District Magistrate
or District Collector and the Member Secretary will be Sub-Divisional
Magistrate or Sub-Divisional Officer. The other two members are DFO and Expert
to be nominated by Divisional Commissioner.
4. For the purposes of assisting the Authority for the
districts, the Ministry has also constituted an eleven Member District Level
Expert Appraisal Committee (DEAC) for all the districts of the country. The Chairperson of
the DEAC will be Executive Engineer, Irrigation Department and Member
Secretary will be Assistant Director, or Deputy Director or District
Mines Officer or Geologist in the district. The other members will be from
Sub-Divisional Officer (Forest); representative of remote sensing department or
geology department or state ground water department; occupational health expert
or medical officer; engineer from Zila Parishad; State Pollution Control Board
or Committee; senior most Assistant Engineer, Public Works Department; and
three Experts to be nominated by the Divisional Commissioner.
5. Preparation of District Survey Report for sand and
river bed mining and mining of other minor minerals are envisaged.
6. Simple Application Form ‘1M’ envisaged for mining of minor minerals under
category ‘B2’ less than 5ha introduced.
7. Simplification and decentralization of EC process
has been introduced. Now small project of mining of minor minerals to be dealt
at DEIAA/DEAC & SEIAA/SEAC level and larger project at the level of
EAC/MoEFCC. The gist of categorization is as follows:-
A. EC proposal of sand mining and other minor mineral mining on the basis of individual mine
lease
Area of Lease
(Hectare)
|
Category of
Project
|
Authority to appraise/ grant EC
|
Authority to monitor EC compliance
|
0 – 5ha
|
‘B2’
|
DEAC/
DEIAA
|
DEIAA
SEIAA
SPCB
CPCB
MoEFCC
Agency nominated by MoEFCC
|
> 5 ha and < 25 ha
|
‘B2’
|
SEAC /
SEIAA
|
|
≥ 25ha and < 50ha
|
‘B1’
|
SEAC/
SEIAA
|
|
≥ 50 ha
|
‘A’
|
EAC/
MoEFCC
|
B. EC proposal of sand mining and other minor mineral
mining in cluster situation:
Area of Lease
(Hectare)
|
Category of
Project
|
Authority to appraise/ grant EC
|
Authority to monitor EC compliance
|
Cluster area of mine leases up to 5 ha
|
‘B2’
|
DEAC/ DEIAA
|
DEIAA
SEIAA
SPCB
CPCB
MoEFCC
Agency nominated by MoEFCC
|
Cluster area of Mine leases > 5 ha and < 25 ha with no
individual lease > 5 ha
|
‘B2’
|
DEAC/ DEIAA
|
|
Cluster of mine leases of area ≥ 25 hectares with individual lease
size < 50ha
|
‘B1’
|
SEAC/ SEIAA
|
|
Cluster of any size with any of the individual lease ≥ 50ha
|
‘A’
|
EAC/ MoEFCC
|
Certain activities have been exempted from
Environment Clearance. These include –
Ø Extraction of ordinary clay or sand, manually, by
the Kumhars (Potter) to prepare earthen pots, lamp, toys, etc. as per their
customs.
Ø Extraction of ordinary clay or sand, manually, by
earthen tile makers who prepare earthen tiles.
Ø Removal of sand deposits on agricultural field
after flood by farmers.
Ø Customary extraction of sand and ordinary earth
from sources situated in Gram Panchayat for personal use or community work in
village.
Ø Community works like de-silting of village ponds or
tanks, construction of village roads, ponds, ‘bunds’ undertaken in Mahatama
Gandhi National Rural Employment and Guarantee Schemes, other government
sponsored schemes, and community efforts.
Ø Dredging and de-silting of dams, reservoirs, weirs,
barrages, river, and canals for the purpose of their maintenance, upkeep and
disaster management.
Ø Digging of well for irrigation or drinking water;
and digging of foundation for buildings not requiring prior environmental
clearance.
Ø Excavation of ordinary earth or clay for plugging
of any breach caused in canal, ‘nala’, drain, water body, etc., to deal
with any disaster or flood like situation upon orders of District Collector, or
District Magistrate.
Ø Activities declared by State Government under
legislations or rules as non-mining activity with concurrence of the Ministry
of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
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