Mining the issue
There are two distinct strands that need to be discussed when it comes to mining in Goa which are being mixed up in the public debate on the issue. The first is the demand for the resumption of “legal” mining ~ even mining proponents don’t argue that all mining in the State was legal ~ and all the issues surrounding it. The second is the feasibility of the iron ore mining industry itself in Goa and whether it has a sustainable, profitable and stakeholder-driven future.
As for the first, the announcement by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar that the government was going to lift its mining suspension order issued in the aftermath of the presentation of the MB Shah Commission Report in Parliament in September 2012 with respect to 24 to 30 mining leases whose documentation is in order in the first phase, can be seen as a political signal. For, as the government also made clear, it does not mean that mining in these leases will start anytime soon given that the Environmental Clearances (ECs) of 90 operational mines continue to be held in abeyance by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and, more fundamentally, the Supreme Court imposed ban on all mining activity in the state of Goa is very much in place.
The Chief Minister may have valid reasons for making his announcement including sending out a message to the mining industry and those employed in it that he was in favour of resumption of “legal mining” whilst simultaneously flagging the State’s dependence on mining revenue at least in the short to medium term. But unless the government has used the past year to put in place proper monitoring mechanisms that includes independent ~ of both state and industry ~ representatives that is qualified to investigate and punish irregularities and/or illegalities, the move may well boomerang on it. The government must proceed with due diligence and caution.
After all, the illegal mining scam in Goa was in large part down to the officials and politicians charged with regulating the industry turning a blind eye to the illegalities going on in the sector. As of now, we see no evidence ~ in terms of institutional mechanisms in place as opposed to well-meaning statements ~ put out in the public domain by the government that it has indeed got the wherewithal to ensure the days of 50 million plus tonnes of iron ore being extracted, transported and then exported out of Goa and the attendant illegalities it spawned will never make a comeback.
There are many even among his critics who say that while there is no doubting Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s intention that he wants only legal mining to resume, especially given his authorship of the Public Accounts Committee of the Goa Assembly that first nailed the illegal scam, there certainly are questions about the ability of a compromised official structure to ensure those directions are indeed carried out. A complete overhaul of the monitoring system should be the priority to guarantee that as/when/if resumption of mining is allowed in Goa by the apex court, there is no going back to the days of the loot of our natural resources in which stakeholders ended up as participants due to the rule of law not being applied or upheld.
All said and done, however, the above falls under what could be termed the “executive domain” and the duly elected government of the day is fully within its rights to proceed on the course it deems best, just as those who may disagree with it have the unalienable right to articulate their dissent, point to the possible pitfalls and, if needed, approach the courts to intervene.
The second issue, of what the shape, direction and contours of a sustainable, stakeholder driven, environment-friendly mining sector that brings prosperity to the people of Goa as well as allows reasonable profit for the industry, is the real question that will be need to be addressed as we go forward. On that, it is the people of Goa engaged in open public debate who will set the course.
