While the delegation which went to Delhi with the much tom-tommed objective of impressing upon the centre to delay, hold, keep in abeyance or pass an ordinance to allow the existing mining lease holders to continue mining in an abject defiance of the Supreme Court; the word is out. Extraction of ore has to stop by March 13, transportation by March 14 and removal of all movable machinery, ‘preferably’ by March 15.
The delegation of mainly mining belt MLAs and South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar, managed a couple of photo ops with Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Piyush Goel and a maximum possible assurance that they could meet the Mines minister on March 9. But the clarity with which they were rebuffed by the centre actually unnerved many. And it came in the form of subtly telling the mining leadership of Goa that they should have approached the centre only after there was an authorisation from the Cabinet. It indirectly asked the Goa delegation with what authority were they present before them.
It is extremely embarrassing for Goa to be told by the central minsters the protocol that needs to be followed, even if a consideration that has been prima facie rejected by the centre, can be placed for introspection by the centre on merit. What has clearly emerged from the body language and informal comments is that the centre wants the Goa MLAs and ministers to delink clearly from their nexus- perceived or otherwise- with mining companies.
In fact, the refusal of the Goa Mining MLAs to accept that a unambiguous strong Supreme Court judgment of February 2018, which actually reinforces the Shah Commission judgment of March 2014, is giving an absolutely false glimmer of hope to a beleaguered mining industry. Let us not fool the mining stake holders any longer and accept a very harsh reality.
Apart from the directive of the mines department to pretty much wind up operations and leave the lease premises by March 15, the Goa Pollution Control Board, as we have reported, has written to the Department of Mines that it will not consider granting any or amending any consent to operate in respect of any mining unit under the air and water act.
It is also revealed that Vedanta Limited ( Sesa Sterlite) and others moved an application, before the Supreme Court judgment of February 7 to enhance their extraction capacity under their renewed consent to operate in the Surla Sonhsi mine. The Goa Pollution Control Board, on March 5 rejected the application.
The mines department communique asking for mining lease holders to virtually clear out and the GSPCB decisions with regard to Sesa and other mines and refusing to issue any more consents, were all issued on March 5, incidentally the day Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar left for Mumbai for further treatment.
The ground reality of the mining scenario lies in these directives and not in the half baked sketchy information emanating from MLAs who went to Delhi to meet the Union Ministers.
In their desperation to restart mining, the critical bottom line i.e, all mining after 2007 is clearly illegal in leases whose renewals have been quashed, is being ignored. Why are senior legislators living in denial?
The mining MLAs are suggesting that an ordinance be passed keeping Supreme court Feb 7 order in abeyance for next 4-5 months? It is unheard of that one state is actually wanting to ask the Centre to keep a Supreme Court order in abeyance, with the intention of carrying out mining, as if the Supreme Court order has not been delivered at all. What these MLAs are recommending, in effect, is that leases whose renewals have been quashed, thereby making them ineffective, should be allowed to carry out operations. Is this even for real?
It is time for such adventures to stop. Any attempt at dragging this will further delay the actual restart of clean sustainable mining, after a long gap, to allow Goa to breathe and recuperate. Goa should, in turn, focus on investigation and recovery of illegal mining and plough that money back to help those who really suffer from the mining shutdown.
