Finally In Motion

After months of ambivalent posturing, Tuesday’s High Court order leaves the ManoharParrikar government with no choice but to set in motion a clear line of action against the players in the mining scandal in Goa. The High Court of Bombay at Goa has given the State government six weeks to lodge FIRs against all those involved “including the lessees of the mines and all those who permitted such illegal mining”. The order will no doubt send shudders down the line of the 151 players identified in the Justice Shah Commission report, former Congress chief ministers Digambar Kamat and Pratapsingh Rane and the big barons of the mining business not excluded. The scales of justice seem to be finally bearing down on the “untouchables”.
Ironically, the day the HC Bench was engaged in disposing of this PIL in Panjim, not far off in the State legislative Assembly the Chief Minister was upbraiding a retired Supreme Court judge for his criticism of the Goa government’s dole to the mining “dependent”. Justice Santosh Hegde had said the Goa government’s move to provide financial assistance to those affected by the shutdown of an industry embroiled in illegalities was only “perpetuating the illegalities”. The judge, whose term as Karnataka Lokayukta brought to heel the wayward and highly corrupt Reddy brothers and put an end to the mafia-style iron ore mining in Bellary, also ridiculed Goa’s appointment of the high-powered committee headed by RMS Khandeparkar as nothing more than a ruse to avoid action on the Shah Commission findings.
Smarting from these comments, the Chief Minister said that Hegde was not competent enough to make a judgment on the Goa mining situation because he had no knowledge of the ground realities here. On the defensive over what to everybody else seems clearly like a pro-miners stance over the last six months since the shutdown of the industry, Parrikar had told the Assembly last week that he wasn’t supporting the “evil mine owners”, but why should the common man be made to pay for their sins? In the deafening silence in the Opposition benches over this issue, BJP MLA Vishnu Wagh’s subtle criticism of Parrikar’s decision to use public funds for the mining bailout was reassuring. Why was the State government footing the whole bill for the compensation package rather than asking the cash-rich mining companies to bear the financial burden in equal measure? Wagh asked. He said given the profits they earned, mine owners would have substantial funds to pay salaries for the next three years. So why expect the government to do what they are morally obliged to?
Wagh wouldn’t be far off the mark in his assessment of their net worth. After some initial reluctance ~ Vedanta-owned Sesa Goa claimed it was cash strapped after the mining clampdown ~ 16 lease holders have grudgingly coughed up nearly Rs 300 crore as stamp duty for renewals that will extend for 20 years. The figures are revealing: Fomentos paid Rs 21 crore for two leases, ChowgulesRs 29.47 crore, RajaramBandekar put up Rs 14 crore, Salgaocars Rs 9.65 crore, Pandurang Timblo Rs 12 crore, builders Cosme Costa whose Sonshi, Pissurlem mine till late last year was run by Sesa’s came up with Rs 60 crore and Sesa Goa itself finally paid up nearly Rs 100 crore for mines in Codli, Sanguem and others.
While the Chief Minister may well dispute the quantum of the iron ore plunder assessed by the Shah Commission, he does concede there was a large amount of illegalities. Some of those shady takings are now to be ploughed back into the State’s economy. In fact, to quote the former Leader of Opposition in an October 2011 interview to a national TV website: “Out of the 50 million tonnes exported from Goa, around 20-25 million comes from illegal sources,” said Parrikar, who warned that “Goa is on the verge of becoming another Bellary.”
The former Leader of Opposition also denied that Goa’s economy depended on mining. He was quoted as saying: “According to 2007-08 data, mining caused around Rs 600 crore of environmental damage to the State. Between 2007-11, the quantum of mining has doubled and the damage caused has increased three times. As of today, the damage incurred is to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 2,000 crore whereas the revenue generated is only Rs 850 crore. How can mining then be considered as a net earning?”One might wonder why, as Chief Minister, Parrikar’s views on mining would have altered so dramatically in just over a year. Speculation is widespread but we need to hear from the man himself rather than add to the speculation.
Meanwhile, in its rejoinder filed recently in the Goa Foundation case in the apex court, the Parrikar government boasts that “it is for the first time since Goa’s liberation that a popularly elected government has shown the courage to stop mining and take on the mining companies”. Why does it need courage for a State government to do what it has been elected to do? Which among others, to take action against those on the wrong side of the law!