Goa asks Centre to concentrate on mines safety

Panaji, July 18 (IBNS) Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday asked the Central government to look after mines safety in Goa instead of concentrating on dumps.

"The Central government is bothered about dumps and not about mines safety. The central government institutions like Mines Safety department and Indian Bureau of Mines should ensure safety of mines," Parrikar spoke during the zero hour of the assembly session on Wednesday.

His comments come after the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) wrote to Goa government that it should stop exporting mining rejects which have not obtained environment clearances.

Parrikar said that the two union agencies should ensure that safety laws are not violated on the mining leases but it was focusing on dumps.

"Goa government will make sure that lives of people on mines are not put to danger," he said responding to a question by independent legislator Naresh Sawal.

Parrikar assured that election donations given by mining firms will not influence government decisions.

(Reporting by John Edwards)