Quarrying in buffer zone of wildlife sanctuary
Nov 4, 2012, 02.46AM IST

PANAJI: The focus is on setting up of a buffer zone around protected areas, but authorities seem to be in the dark about the situation on ground zero as three stone quarries are allegedly operating illegally in Molem, barely 1km from Bhagwan Mahavir wildlife sanctuary limits, sources said.

Environment activists have noticed a spurt in laterite quarrying near the sanctuary limits in recent weeks. Two of the sites at Gouliwada and Zamboli appear to have been dug up in recent months for extraction of the construction material. The third one at Gouliwada is located in a plot near an abandoned quarry, activists said.

"The quarry at Zamboli is hardly 200 metres from the sanctuary limits and this is a mockery of the law," union of wildlife activists president Saish Khandeparkar said. The other two in Gouliwada are about 1km from the boundary of the 133-sq km wildlife sanctuary in Molem.

The operations in all three quarries are largely unnoticed as they are located about 200 to 300 metres off the main road from Molem to Tambdi Surla.

"Each of the quarries covers an area of one to two acres and have not reached a great depth as the activity is recent," Khandeparkar said. Around ten labourers are engaged at each of the quarries and machinery is being used, though digging is carried out manually.

"This is the hard reality and all talk of 1km buffer zone by the state government appears to be eyewash," social activist Ramesh Gauns said.

The boom in the construction sector has escalated the demand for materials, including laterite stones. Trucks can be seen leaving the quarries, carrying the material to construction sites.

All three sites were cleared of vegetative cover. "The Zamboli site was cleared recently," Khandeparker alleged.

A forest department official said all the sites are in revenue land. "For any felling in revenue land, forest rules are not applicable," the source said.

Mines and geology director Prasanna Acharya was not available for comment. Molem sarpanch Snehlata Naik said she was not aware of the activity. "Nobody has brought it to our notice," she said.

An official of the administrative set up of the new Dharbandora taluka said he will look into the matter. "We have not received any complaint so far, but we will inspect the sites soon," the official said.

Gauns blamed the administration for its apathy in addressing issues related to minor or major minerals. "The government has hardly shown any seriousness in protecting eco-sensitive zones," he said.

The Goa government has mooted the protection of eco-sensitive zones in RP 2021, which is yet to be finalized.