Goa will have to work out mining resumption on its own, says Minister

Move necessitated by no assurance from Centre, says Vijai Sardesai

With no assurance from the Central government over the resumption of mining in Goa, a solution to the crisis has to be worked out at the State-level, said Minister for Agriculture and Goa Town and Country Planning, Vijai Sardesai, on Monday.

Mr. Sardesai told presspersons after attending a Cabinet meeting at ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s private residence near Panaji that the issue of mining resumption was discussed.

“People are asking us and the Centre has not given any solution. So we will have to work out some solution at the State-level,” said the Minister.

The Supreme Court banned mining from March 2018 after it quashed the second renewal by the State government of all 88 iron ore mining leases in the State.

Members of the Legislative Assembly as well as the Goa Mining People’s Front (GMPF), an umbrella organisation of mining-affected people, have launched a campaign against the government seeking a solution to the mining ban ever since the Supreme Court banned the activity, the second time in six years, over the issue of illegalities and irregularities.

Recently, a GMPF delegation met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, but returned unhappy with Mr. Modi’s assurance that he would “look into the matter within the framework of the law and the Supreme Court order”.

Meanwhile, the Congress, the main Opposition, stepped up its attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for failing to resolve the mining deadlock, despite heading governments both at the Centre and in the State.

“For 12 months, the BJP did nothing except give false assurances to people dependent on the mining industry. And now they say, they cannot do anything about it. The BJP will pay for this betrayal in the upcoming elections,” warned Leader of the Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar on Monday.