TOI

Panaji, Mar 30: Goa's Padma award winners, including cartoonist Mario Miranda and writer Ravindra Kelekar, have got together to urge the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) not to lift the moratorium on mining till the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) completes an assessment on the impact of past mining activities on the state.

Thanking the ministry for imposing the moratorium on mining activity in Goa and instituting the study by NEERI, the Padma awardees urged the ministry to issue directives under the Environment Protection Act, 1986 based on NEERI recommendations after the institute submits its report.

Padma Bhushan and Jnanpith award winner Kelekar, Padma Bhushan winner Miranda, Padma Shri awardees singer Remo Fernandes, educationist Suresh Amonkar, advocate and environment activist Norma Alvares and writer and academic Maria Aurora Couto have signed the petition. Fashion designer Wendell Rodricks has also added his signature to the petition.