Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi next week in a bid to resolve the mining crisis in the State. The Supreme Court had banned operations at all 88 mining leases from March, which has led to protests.
“The CM will soon hold a joint meeting of all MLAs from the mining areas, after which the matter will be taken up with the PM,” a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office said on Thursday, after Mr. Parrikar met some MLAs from the mining belt. Among those who met the CM were Speaker Pramod Sawant, Pravin Zantye, Rajesh Patnekar, Prasad Gaonkar and Deepak Pauskar.
The mining problem is one of the challenges before Mr. Parrikar, who returned to Goa on June 14 after more than three months, during which he was undergoing treatment in the U.S.
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Mr. Pauskar told presspersons after the meeting on Thursday that the government has three options: an ordinance in Parliament to extend the leases, auctioning the leases, and forming a State-run mining corporation to oversee operations.
Meanwhile, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar told reporters on Friday that his party will support any solution from the government, provided it is within the legal framework. Mr. Chodankar also met representatives of mining dependants, who have been on a protest in the city for some time.