HERALD: Are you satisfied after meeting with Nitin Gadkari?

CHANDRAKANT GAWAS: Yes, because Union minister, Gadkari has given the assurance that he will speak to the Cabinet Minister in the State of Goa to help formulate a scheme which will help people like truck owners, machine owners and barge owners. 

HERALD: What are your immediate demands?

CG: We are now following with the present State government for further plan of action and how to go about it, because March 31, 2018 is the deadline of the banks for our debt relief scheme which was extended by Manohar Parrikar. We are getting assurance that the debt relief scheme deadline will be extended. We have borrowed loans from the bank to purchase barges and banks have more stakes in our company and surely they also are affected. They should support us in our crisis. We are not willful defaulters and we have every intention to return the loans with interest.

HERALD: What will happen if the demands are not met?

CG: Regarding ferrying of iron-ore the demand may not be met as Supreme Court has issued an order. However, I am of a firm belief that some solution will surely come jointly by the State and Central government. This we came to know after meeting with the Union Minister, Nitin Gadkari.

HERALD: Do you think that the state government should have filed the review petition much earlier?

CG: I am not an expert to comment on the Supreme Court judgment or on the filing of review petition. However, as per my legal knowledge and seeing the mood of the people I can say they are the best people to do what and when they want to do it. When we met Chief Minister Parrikar on February 7 after the Supreme Court judgment, he asked us not to panic as barges would get business anyways up to May 16.

HERALD: How many people in your barge industry, directly or indirectly will be affected by this mining ban?

CG: The situation is not like 2012 as many barge owners then either sold off their barges or scrapped it and joined some other business. At present 184 barges are there in Goa. About one lakh people, including the family members of barge owners and the workforce engaged in this business will directly be affected. 

HERALD: What alternatives do you have, in case the imbroglio remains unsolved?

CG: Barges in Goa has been specially constructed and designed so that they can sail in Mandovi and Zuari rivers to transport iron ore. However, due to less demand and business, some barges have either gone to Gujarat, Ratnagiri or Mumbai. If the business in other states increases then surely many of these remaining barges will also move. Then what we were giving to Goa in terms of employment and peripheral businesses will not be available then. 

HERALD: With this iron-ore mines closure, how do you assess the economic situation of the State? 

CG: As a businessman I saw that Goa’s economic backbone was mining. Now Goa economy will definitely suffer by at least Rs 4000 crore to the minimum. No business can replace what mining gave to Goa. Because of this ban in 2012, we saw how the automobile, real estate, hotel, tourism industry had all taken a hit and it had a spiraling affect as the money was not there in the market.