The constant buzz of the mining machinery in the hills of Eastern Goa has fallen silent. There is a quiet in the hinterland that usually settles in with the onset of the monsoon, when the mining industry takes its annual break. Yet, it is not yet the monsoon, and this silence is different, fraught with an anxiety of whether the industry will begin buzzing again anytime soon.
The mines have been silenced by the Supreme Court of India that in one stroke quashed the second renewals of 88 mining leases, and ordered that all mining operations should come to an end on March 15. The idea of March of the year 2018 has indeed turned ominous for the State and its mining fraternity, that now stares at a mirage of what might have been.
Even as lease holders and operators withdrew their machinery from the lease areas, the government has decided to approach the Supreme Court with a review petition seeking that mining activities be allowed to be continued for a sufficient period of time, so as to relieve the labour class who depends on the industry for their livelihood. This review petition is contrary to the opinion of the Advocate General who feels it could portray the government in a poor light.
There are divergent views on the issue, and instead of attempting to go strictly by the book, the government is playing the populism card of livelihood to try and get mining restarted, even as politicians in the State have begun time passing the buck. The political establishment has to accept responsibility for the situation. If governance is a continuous process, then the current dispensation cannot shrug off what the previous government did. Though some members of the cabinet may be different, it is the same party that is leading the government and so should admit that it is responsible for the current situation, for having permitted second renewals of the leases, and not try and skirt around the issue.
But, it appears as if the government is attempting to paint itself white when a minister says that the crisis is not state-made and it is because of the Supreme Court that Goa is facing the current mining imbroglio. The Supreme Court came into the picture and passed a judgment because there was something fraudulent and illegal in the manner in which the government cleared the second renewals of the mining leases. The stoppage of mining operations can’t be blamed on the Supreme Court of India. It is definitely of the State’s making, and rather than viewing the situation as a problem that requires a quick fix solution, the establishment must look at it as an opportunity to clean the industry and begin mining anew.
But the latter doesn’t appear to be happening. With almost the entire political establishment in the State scurrying to try and get some relief for the mining industry, despite the Supreme Court order stopping all mining operations from this date onwards, there is little hope that the red mining dust will be allowed to settle down and the industry cleansed, before it is allowed to restart with a clean slate.
Realistically, there is no quick fix solution to the industry. Under the current laws, auction is the only option, and the government has finally come around to accepting it.
Right from the time the Shah Commission report was released, and the people of Goa made aware of the illegalities in the mining industry, a large section of the people has been waiting for action against those involved in the illegalities. It hasn’t happened, and neither have the people been identified, but Goa has reached another mining impasse, which begs the question: had the government acted on the Shah Commission report, would the story today have been different?
