The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has extended an interim ban on sand mining activities in Goa until April 23 after the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) informed the tribunal that sand mining is a prohibited activity within Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas. In an order dated February 16 the NGT's Western Bench directed that the ban will remain in force until the next hearing on April 23.

The tribunal noted that the GCZMA, in an affidavit, stated that the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) had proposed sand mining in CRZ areas where such activity is prohibited. During a previous hearing on January 28 the Goa State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (Goa-SEIAA) informed the tribunal that the DMG had failed to disclose that the identified sand extraction sites fell within CRZ and intertidal CRZ areas.

SEIAA said that, had the Mines Department clearly disclosed the CRZ status of the proposed sites, it would have insisted on mandatory prior clearance from the GCZMA before considering the grant of environmental clearance. The bench referred to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) office memorandum dated April 26, 2022, observing that projects in CRZ areas must first obtain recommendations from the GCZMA before SEIAA may consider applications for clearance.

During the latest hearing the GCZMA tendered an apology for failing to file its reply affidavit on earlier dates and sought the recall of a Rs 50,000 penalty imposed on it; the bench accepted the request and disposed of the matter. The NGT is hearing 12 appeals filed by the Goa River Sand Protection Network challenging the environmental clearances granted by SEIAA in February last year for sand mining in designated zones.

SEIAA maintained that the clearance process had taken into account a report by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) that delineated areas where sand extraction could be carried out with environmental impact, but reiterated that the non-disclosure of CRZ status by the DMG had compromised the clearance process. The tribunal will revisit the matter on April 23.