Key to national growth and a source of livelihood for many, mining has to be done in a scientific and sustainable way
Mining is one of the oldest human activities and will continue till alternatives to minerals are found. Mining is important for economic development but open cast mining is a destructive activity that leaves an ugly scar on the earth. However, by applying modern scientific technologies and adopting environmentally-sustainable mining practices, the negative impacts can be minimised.
India’s mining industry received bad publicity in the last five to six years due to illegal mining activities in Karnataka, Odisha and Goa. The Supreme Court had to intervene and the clean-up process was started. This writer, as Director General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education and Chancellor of FRI University, had headed the Supreme Court-appointed multi-disciplinary task force, comprising of experts from the ICFRE, the Forest Survey of India, the Wild life Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Engineering and the National Remote Sensing Agency, to do an environmental impact assessment of mining operations in Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur districts.
The task force was constituted in August 2011 after a public interest litigation was filed in the apex court, alleging rampant illegal mining. After several field visits and wider consultations with all stakeholders, the task forcesubmitted its reports to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, considering the satisfactory job done by the team, the Supreme Court and the Government of Karnataka asked the ICFRE to prepare mine rehabilitation and restoration plans for all the mines.
The task force had found that proper technology was not being used, that there was encroachment of over 43sqkm of adjoining forest lands, and the mandated safety zone was not being maintained. Most small mine owners either lacked the resources or the motivation to do mining scientifically. The outdated system of granting leases and the inherent political corruption is to blame for this.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests is also guilty of violation of environmental norms.The task force was told by the Bellary District Magistrate that even after adverse reports, mining companies obtained clearances from the Ministry. Several politicians and bureaucrats minted money and dishonest mining barons prospered at the cost of honest mining companies.
However, the days when mining companies flouted environmental norms and safety rules are now over. The future is only for scientific and environmentally-sustainable mining. Those who want to be in the mining business must use better technology for exploration, the latest equipments and trained man-power. They should consider cooperative mining as well.
One peculiar dilemma that policy-makers have to face in this country is that most mineral deposits are under forest cover. The more dense the forest, the more ore lies below it. Solving this conundrum is the responsibility of policy-makers, experts, mining federations and mining companies, apart from Governmental agencies.
Mining is essential for sustaining the livelihoods of many communities (including those that live in mineral-rich Red corridor) as well as for production of steel and other industrial raw materials that are needed for national development. There is no need to demonise mining just as mining doesn’t have to be in destructive mode either. It is necessary to plan, implement and institutionalise a range of mechanisms and processes which will enable the country to meet its industrial and economic imperatives on the one hand but also safeguard the environment and human well-being on the other.
The Supreme Court needs to wind up the mining conundrum and direct the Union Government to end red-tapism in the sector by setting up a transparent and forward-looking framework for proper monitoring of mining operations. The task force had recommended cancelling the licenses of those who had done rampant illegal mining in the past.
It had also suggested fixing 50 hectares as the minimum for granting lease. This recommendation was arrived at after consultation with all stakeholders including mining associations but no action has been taken. The Supreme Court should direct the Union Government to examine these recommendations and reform the working of regulatory agencies dealing with mines, like the Indian Bureau of Mines and the office of the Directorate General of Mines Safety, to ensure safe mining operations.
Mining companies must also form a consortium of technical experts to lay the foundation of ecologically-sustainable mining and win the confidence of locals and genuine environmentalists.
(The writer is former Director General of the ICFRE and former Principal Secretary, Government of Tripura)