PORVORIM, Feb. 10 -- Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said on the floor of the State Assembly that now the successful bidders will not be permitted to undertake any mining operations around religious or residential structures.

Replying to a calling attention notice tabled by Bicholim MLA Chandrakant Shetye, the Chief Minister said while auctioning blocks the same lease bouandaries of earlier erstwhile leases are maintained and the said leases were in operation for the past many years.

"The erstwhile lease holders were operating the mining leases with the existing structures be it religious or residential. The erstwhile lease holders never did any excavation around these structures. However, now even successful bidders will not be ...