NT NETWORK Panaji
Coming out with the final order on illegal quarries in Pernem taluka that resulted in the death of four school boys, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the state government to compensate the families of the students.
The NGT has fixed the compensation at Rs 16 lakh per student, to be paid to the families of the students by the state’s mining department.
“The department of mines may recover the amount from the polluters on ‘Principle of Polluters Pay.’ It has to pay compensation at the rate of Rs 16 lakh per student plus interest @ 6 per cent p.a. from the date of the order,” said NGT in its judgment delivered on October 13.
The comprehensive order, running into 66 pages, was put up on the Tribunal’s website on Wednesday. The order is related to the matter on illegal mining operations in basalt or stone quarries in the villages of Ozarim, Mandrem, Tuem, Corgao, Nagjar, Casarvarnem and Alorna in Pernem taluka.
The order also looks into the issue of environmental degradation, raised by the complainant, not only in the villages of Pernem but also in neighbouring
villages of the state. The order says that the mined-out pits must be backfilled where warranted and the area should be suitably landscaped to prevent environmental degradation.
“The filling of pits and replenishment matter be immediately taken by the District Collector, who is at liberty to recover the damages and also the cost of the restitution from the polluters,” said the NGT judgment.
In a previous hearing of the case on September 25, 2020, the NGT had asked a joint committee, headed by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), to calculate the amount of compensation payable to the four students, who drowned in the quarry pits. The committee was also asked to submit a report on who will pay the compensation, and legal action against the persons, who violated the rules.
The Tribunal said that deciding on the compensation is “within its jurisdiction” and referred to several past judgments to decide on the compensation amount. Finally, it went by the minimum wages prescribed by the central government viz. Rs 433 per month. For easy calculation (rounding off), the minimum wage is taken at Rs 400 per month with minimum work of 20 days a month and work up to 25 years.
The order says that the state mining department makes the rules for preventing illegal mining, transportation and storage of minerals and hence must be held liable for payment of compensation.
