The iron ore mines in Sonshi village in Sattari will have to wait till May 23 to know whether they can resume operation soon or will have to wait for the new mining season to commence in October.

The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) will be meeting on May 23 to decide about the Consent to Operate of 12 mining leases in Sonshi, which are currently under suspension.

The Board was suppose to meet on Friday; however could not as the data collected from the ambient air quality monitoring stations was not ready.

The next meeting is scheduled on May 23, when both GSPCB and the mining firms are asked to produce the data.

If the Board fails to take the decision, then it would be end of mining season for these 12 mines, who will have to wait for the new season to commence in October to resume operations.

The ongoing mining season will end on May 31.

The mining activities at Sonshi are shut down since April 28, after GSPCB declined to grant consent to operate to 12 out of 13 mines. The Board observed that the lease holders were involved in violation of environmental norms causing dust pollution in the vicinity.

Team TNV