HERALD: Certain directions and guidelines were laid regarding the mining issue. After this, it was expected that the ball would start rolling. There are two aspects to the judgment, one was a severe clamp down on irregularities, punishment of the guilty, recovery of the loss and FINALLY also carry out sustainable mining. Can we carry out sustainable mining without first taking care of the main issues of punishment, recovery and so on and so forth. Even as we were discussing the revenue problem of Goa and the recovery of financial health of the state, we need to see how we primarily need to recover the loss due to illegal mining.

Ramesh Gawas: There is an overall loss of Rs 20,000 crores. I scrutinized the mineral policy of 2013 and it is stated that because we got stamp duty, the financial crisis was solved to a certain extent. Thereafter, I checked the Supreme Court- appointed central empowered committee report which said 39.5 million MT of ore was exported illegally. Even if we calculate it at the rate of $100 per tonne and every dollar’s exchange rate as Rs 60, the total loss is pegged about Rs 2,37,000 crores and in the budget our finance Minister says we have an overall loss of Rs 20,000 crores! If the criminals were booked and the money was recovered, our budget would not have been limited to Rs 16,000 crores. I’m not against mining but remember that 85 per cent of the water problems have come to the fore due to mining.

HERALD: Why has it taken so long to act against illegal mining?

Narendra Sawaikar: Mining in Goa has been in existence for a long time. What is important, we need to realise that the State lost huge money. It is our money. Let's not first get into which party-politics as in who was in power and which party sat in the opposition bench. Secondly, Shah Commission was appointed when it was noticed that there are irregularities. I’m a lawyer and if you say take this report and start your action, it doesn’t happen like that. You have to make a case out of it and now we know that the SIT which was formed, their inquiry is on. Thirdly, as far as your comments on the revenue part are concerned, let me bring to your notice the circumstances that developed after the mining closure and the plight of the people. I do rather congratulate the government that they were able to generate whatever revenue from these people legally and run the finances. Remember that our revenue resources are also limited. After all, we must realise who faced all the troubles --- GOANS! We should appreciate the way the government is moving and whatever irregularities have happened need to be put in order and I feel the government is heading in the right direction.

Adv Cleofato Coutinho: We cannot undo completely the damage that has taken place in the past. Complete repair is not possible. So, let's look ahead and put things in the right perspective.

Herald: For the future, we have to keep in mind two things. I agree with Ramesh in one sense that you have to recover the loss to the greatest extent if you want to look ahead in the right perspective. My point is why we are thinking about the future of mining and to ensure that mining is sustainable. Number two, the cap is completely maintained. And number 3, what is most important, the problem is not with mining per say, but with the  impact of transportation and what it is doing to the villagers.

Adv Cleofato Coutinho: Since you are saying mining has to be sustainable as Ramesh was saying that 30 panchayats have given affidavits to the Supreme Court stating that that they would like to re-start. Best situation would be what the Apex Court did in the first instance. They took a report from the Indian school of mines,  Dhanbad, and they dealt with the carry capacity of the state. I think that sort of an approach is required. 

HERALD: I completely agree with your approach but the point here is  sustainable mining can take place only if there is sustainable transportation. Sustainable mining can take place only if you have a mining corridor and to do that you need funds. To get funds you need to recover the mining loot. I completely agree with you, but we cannot look at the future by allowing culprits to get away.

Adv Cleofato Coutinho: Entire carrying capacity is based upon transportation. Now, whether you are going to first recover the loot and then going to build those roads...

HERALD: I must mention the human aspect of mining which we need to take into account. Everytime we have this mining debate what comes on the table is mining is stopped what is going to happen to the jobs, what will happen to the economy. Don't you think it is time for us to look into other sustainable ways of employement. Should we encourage farming, should we encourage more ways for agriculture.

Narendra Sawaikar: Herald has hit it on the nail. We should now talk about more sustainable activities the State's ecology can withstand too. We have to look at options like inter-land tourism, or whether its eco-tourism, farming activities so on and so forth. I don't know whether big factories to Goa, considering the environmental issues, will be a good idea. Till then, we need to concentrate on OTHER sustainable activities in Goa.

HERALD: Things discussed need to be translated into policies. We have to have an earnest effort to se that policies are executed. There should be a taskforce to keep vigil.

Adv Cleofato Coutinho: Big factories... is it viable for Goa... I understand that manufacturing is a big engine of growth. But somehow our state may not be in a position to take such big industries. Nitin might be in a better position to tell us. Singapore is a service-based country, like Dubai is trading country. Could we have something beyond that? Think of something in that direction. Even Mumbai is a big service industry.

Nitin Kunkolienker : The government is now talking about Sagarmala project. Goa could be prepared to become a base for electronics. We need to find a substitute for China. Goa can be prepared as a hub for this purpose. We also need to make Goa as a special zone for export.

HERALD: We will move on to the next subject --- Tourism. Economically, in terms of jobs, Goa is facing a huge challenge, there is going to be absolute agreement across the board that we are in serious danger for losing Brand Goa if things are not done immediately. We still have not comprehended the damage that is done to Goa by the manner in which tourism is done. The way tourism growth has happened, firstly it is haphazard, secondly the entire focus has been on one particular belt and that has happened due to lack of planning and many tourism areas are now being kept out of the regional Plan. This needs to be addressed seriously and secondly the kind of tourists that we are getting is also a matter of concern. When we point at something, we must remeber that three fingers of the clutch are pointing at us. What have we done to rectify our faulty taxi system? Law and order need to be linked to tourism. Have we taken into account how many tourists, expecially foreign tourists have lost their lives in our land?

Prashant Naik: I feel Goa’s tourism has lacked a proper direction for years together and therefore we cannot blame this government or that government. We have concentrated only on the coastal belt which is over loaded now. We have still not been able to know our carrying capacity, how many beds we need. Is 40 lakh tourist footfall fine? From 40 lakh are we going to increase it by another 20 lakh and are we going to remain in the coastal belt only or are we going to go to Neturli and the hinterland? We have not planned anything of this sort. Look at Sri Lanka, there are more foreign tourists in Sri Lanka than in Goa. From that point of view, I feel we need a good tourism policy for Goa. We have to develop hinterland tourism. There is a different class which goes distances to go to wild life forests, so we have to pay attention to all these aspects.

HERALD: Narendra bab, don’t you believe that it is time to relook at this whole aspect of having a ropeway project, balloons, etc or should we relook and encourage home stay. People come here to see the charm of Goa, people don’t come here to see Singapore. Don’t you think that the way this government is having a relook at the IPB, this government should have a relook at the tourism policy?

Narendra Sawaikar: Definitely. For the past so many years, our focus has been on a  particular part of Goa. If you talk about Goa and tourism, people talk about some beaches and that’s it. Nothing beyond that. But if you expose other places and sell the same as our USP, why wouldn’t they go? Even our youngsters are moving towards the urban spaces but we need to train them. Like in Kerala, when we asked some of those youngsters during a trip, they informed that they’re 10th and 12th pass and after a diploma course in masala manufacturing, which is very famous there, they have begun their own start-ups in their homes. They have home stay facilities. This can take care of a situation where in people stop migrating from the village and moving towards the cities. We should have a holistic approach as far as tourism is concerned.

Adv Cleofato Coutinho: I agree with what Prashant and Narendra said that we require hinterland tourism and eco-tourism. I have no problem with that. But I would say that we will have to adopt what Indonesia did some time back. A complete ban on building more hotels. Nothing new should come till we come to a conclusion on the carrying capacity.

Girish Chodankar: I think we have to move tourism from the sun, sand and sea and casinos. In Goa, we have not exploited the places of worship in terms of all religions. In terms of the heritage and architecture, we have not told the world that we are a place apart from what I mentioned earlier. People come to Goa for its natural beauty, peace and communal harmony. Of late, we are disturbing the peace and the moment peace is disturbed, no tourists will come. Communal harmony is getting disturbed everywhere.

HERALD: Absolutely, but before going onto those issues, first let us fix our taxi operations.

Nitin Kunkalienker: A guy comes to Karmali by second class ticket of about Rs 500 and from there to Panjim he pays Rs 700.

Herald: We all know what the taxi situation is and we all know how our taxi fraternity has let us down. The tourists are assaulted, there is absolute fear and this kind of a situation cannot continue. This has happened because political leaders specially in the coastal belt who are actively encouraging these activities. They are also a part of the Gramsabhas. Don’t you think that the dam is now broken and we need to stop it or else Goa will be completely finished and ruined. What is stopping this government from taking an active role and see to it that taxi meters are installed? I have never heard that the Cabinet has taken a decision that meters have to fixed in taxis within a given timeframe. Why is it that when people say bring in radio cabs, Ola and Uber, why is there a sudden outburst. Nobody is saying that Ola and Uber are going to come from outside and take the place of our local taxis. All we are saying is let the local taxi operators become Ola and Uber. My point is that everyone is saying that this should happen. The question is why is it not happening and when will it happen?