log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2023 Facebook.com/thegoan 14 pages PRICE ` 8 The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME IX, NO. 90 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 Goa to move MoEF on Hic, hic, hurray! Violation of ore dumps in forests liquor licenses in full flow n GOVT NOTIFIES IRON ORE DUMP POLICY n STATE TO TRANSPORT 25 MILLION TONNES ANNUALLY  THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI The State government has decided to seek special approval from the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for handling iron ore dumps lying within the forest areas including wildlife sanctuaries. The government on Friday notified the ‘Policy for Regulating Iron Ore Dump Handling in the State of Goa’, according to which the State will transport 25 million tonnes of dumps annually.  In the first phase, the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) has decided to auction the un-stabilized dumps lying outside the lease area- government or private land, soon after the dump profile study is completed. As per the declarations Earth’s electrons forming water on lunar surface, shows data from Chandrayaan-1 PTI NEW DELHI Scientists analysing the remote sensing data from Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission have found that high energy electrons from the Earth may be forming water on the Moon. The team led by researchers from the University of Hawai’i (UH) at Manoa in the US discovered that these electrons in Earth’s plasma sheet are contributing to weathering processes -- breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals -- on the Moon’s surface. The research, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, found that the electrons may have aided the formation of water on the lunar body. Knowing the concentrations and distributions of water on the Moon is critical to understanding its formation and evolution, and to providing water resources for future, the researchers said. The new finding may also help explain origin of the water ice previously discovered in the permanently shaded regions of the Moon, they said. Chandrayaan-1 played a crucial role in the discovery of water molecules on the Moon. The mission, launched in 2008, was the first Indian lunar probe under the Chandrayaan programme. Solar wind, which is composed of high energy particles such as protons, bombards the lunar surface and is thought to be one of the primary ways in which water has been formed on the Moon. NEERI to study quantum of mining that can be allowed PANAJI: The State government has appointed CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to undertake a detailed study on how much fresh iron ore mining can be allowed in the State. DMG Director Suresh Shanbhogue said that NEERI will undertake a study into what the optimum quantum of fresh mining in Goa can be permitted. “Until the study by NEERI is complete, an ad hoc limit of 25 million tonnes for dump transportation on public roads is imposed,” Shanbhogue said.  provided by the Concessionaires/ erstwhile Lessees, the total stock of dumps in Goa exceeds 700 Million Metric tonnes as on date. The policy states that since some of the dumps are within forest areas including sanctuaries causing problems for wild life, the State Govern- ment will seek special approval (if required) from the MOEF for the removal of these dumps. “The approval will be also for the purpose of filling large pits of closed mines in the interests of afforestation, and wildlife preservation,” the policy stated. DMG will also seek a report from the State forest department ascertaining that the removal of such a dump is in the interest of the flora, fauna, forest cover and wildlife. The policy covers all dumps including tailing dumps, existing as on date, inventoried and not inventorized created from mining activities and which fall within and outside the lease areas, irrespective of whether they form a part of the inventory of dumps >Continued on P6 Inquiries by The Goan reveal that Excise acts only if complaints filed THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In what might not surprise many, excise officials have conceded to violations of liquor permits by several commercial establishments, particularly those in the coastal belt while claiming action is initiated only if complaints are filed. “The responsibility for compliance with the conditions laid down in the license rests with the owner of concerned establishments. We ONE FOR THE ROAD „„A senior officer who wished to remain anonymous says the responsibility for compliance with the conditions laid down in the license rests with the owner of concerned establishment „„We actively monitor for violations but our interventions largely follow when complaints are filed with the department or respective excise stations actively monitor for violations but our interventions largely follow when complaints are filed with the department or respective excise stations,” a senior officer, wishing ano- nymity, said while speaking to The Goan. The coastal stretch has recently witnessed several instances of liquor license violations and noise pollution. A complaint against one El Patron bar and music café in Siolim is the latest instance. The officer further revealed that excise stations do receive phone calls on the violations, albeit written complaints are more in number. “We visit the location after the permissible hours to check for violations. If the owner/operator is caught defying the conditions, appropriate action is taken,” the officer added. As the tourist season inches >Continued on P6