Kerala: Green mining with social rider
The amount, the Policy will state, will be used to construct hospitals and schools for mining workers and their children.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The LDF mining policy will strike a balance between development and sustainability. Fast-track single window clearance for mining and quarrying projects, and mandatory ‘social impact assessment’ for such projects are the two big ideas that will form the state’s new Mining Policy. To mitigate the impact of any such development activity, the Policy will also moot the concept of ‘mining area welfare’, about which the UDF’s policy was silent about.
A top source in Mining and Geology Department said that the LDF policy would encourage local governments to constitute a ‘corporate social responsibility fund’ (CSR Fund) with a portion of the net profit of the mining agency (a consensus seems to have reached to fix the portion as 3 percent). The amount, the Policy will state, will be used to construct hospitals and schools for mining workers and their children.
However, it is feared that the introduction of single window clearance, even while having the potential to speed up project clearances, will considerably whittle down the powers of local bodies. The LDF government, too, seems to have accepted the Oommen Chandy dispensation’s thinking that overriding authority of panchayats is “not congenial to the growth of the existing industry or new investments.”
Therefore, when it comes to issues like mining and quarrying (M&Q) operations, the new policy is expected to form district-level expert committees presided over by district collectors to take final decisions. The committee will have as its members officials of line departments and concerned panchayat president. “Such a framework as part of modern governance is essential for faster decisions on the proposals,” the source said. Currently at least 10 or more Government agencies need to grant approval of one or other sort before the mine or quarry is opened in the state.
The Draft policy, the source said, will give thrust to three factors: uninterrupted supply of extracted natural materials like mineral, rock and value added products, reduce environmental damage, and minimize social impact. In keeping with its vision, along with environment impact assessment the policy makes ‘social impact assessment’ mandatory for M&Q operations.