TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Environmental activists have cautiously welcomed, the Supreme Court verdict which conditionally lifts the ban on mining saying that the judgment has vindicated several of their contentions, which they have been arguing for long.
Speaking to Herald, activist Rajendra Kerkar welcomed the verdict who said that such a verdict will restore the faith of the people in the Indian Judicial system.
“Such a judgement was needed for a small state like Goa. Not only has the Supreme Court set a cap on the amount of ore that can be extracted. The cap will restore the faith in the constitutional principles of the country,” Rajendra Kerkar said.
“Whatever we have been saying has been confirmed by the Supreme Court and when business now resumes, it will be one-third of what it was,” Kerkar who has been campaigning of the preservation of the environment in these areas has said.
Anti-mining activist Ramesh Gauns, an award winning teacher said that the quantum of the cap is something that is “difficult to digest.”
“Without there being any study done on the environmental impact of mining in Goa so far, how can one decide how to go forward? Does one give prescriptions before examining a patient?” Gauns asked.
He however remained skeptical on the attitude of the State government, both in probing criminal liability as well as in following the order in letter and spirit.
“The mining scam first began with the Goa Government claiming that it does not have the manpower to check the illegalities. Will they do the same now, both with the criminal investigation as well as with the maintaining of the cap,” Gauns said.
Meanwhile, BJP MLAs from the mining belt were cautious in reacting, even as they welcomed the lifting of the ban on mining operations in the State as a “first step towards resumption of mining.”
Addressing a press conference, Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai and Sanqulim MLA Pramod Sawant backed by the party president Vinay Tendulkar, however said that it would take at least another six months for mining to restart.
Nonetheless Phaldessai did not hesitate to assure media persons that they –read mining belt MLAs, will “ensure that within the next financial year 20 MMT of ore will be exported.
“We welcome the verdict by the Supreme Court and this sets aside the allegation that it is the BJP government that has banned mining in the state,” Phaldessai said adding that the biggest problem arising out of mining was the transportation, which would be mitigated through the construction of bypasses.
“The days of illegal mining are long over. When mining now restarts it will be by following proper procedures,” he added.
The MLAs are however disappointed with the cap which limits output from the state at 20 MMT, which was less than half the maximum officially recorded output during the years when illegal mining was said to be at its peak. The MLAs however remained mum of exactly how many mines continue to be legal, saying that information would be available with the Mines Department.
However, when questioned about action to be initiated against those responsible for the mining scam, especially former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, who was Mines Minister when illegal mining flourished despite mining leases having expired, Phaldessai said, “That we will have to see. There has to be enough evidence against him,” clearly stopping short of calling for action against those who were primarily responsible for the action.
When asked why action was taken only against government officials and the “big fish” including the mine owners, and several politicians have so far been allowed to go scot free, Phaldessai fumbled even further saying that “one had to start somewhere” and that the law will take its own course.
In the end BJP state president Vinay Tendulkar saved the day saying, ”Action will be initiated against all involved in illegal mining.”
