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In the 'seventies, sand mining was an issue in Goa too. FN 'Kerala can't grant sand mining rights' >From Liz Mathew Indo Asian News Service New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS) With a central minister stating that Kerala cannot grant licences for sand mining, two leftist MPs from the state have a new stick to beat the Congress-led coalition of Chief Minister A.K. Antony with. Murli Manohar Joshi, the minister for human resources development who also holds the ocean development portfolio, said in the Lok Sabha Monday that the state government cannot grant rights for mining sand to Indian or foreign firms. Joshi was replying to a question by N.N. Krishnadas of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). The state government was barred from granting mining rights under a law passed last month, Joshi added. Krishnadas pointed out the Kerala government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a private firm for sand mining. Replied Joshi: "Till the time rules are framed under the new law, the state government cannot give permission to anyone." Holding there were widespread protests against the Kerala government's move, Krishnadas wanted to know if the central government had studied the ecological impact of sand mining in Kerala's coastal areas. Joshi said no study had been ordered. --Indo-Asian News Service _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.goanet.org/mailman/listinfo/goanet
