“The needle piercing of the ear should be got done only from the goldsmith”, so runs a proverb in Konkani. Make the accurate choice of the person or get hold of the perfect connection to do the specialised task is the wisdom that filters from this maxim. It looks that the lease-holders of mines in Goa cum exporters of mineral ore have made the ideal choice of their front soldiers to keep the issue of resumption of mining operations at boiling point. The mining magnates are nowhere to be seen either on or off the field. However, they deserve full credit for the appropriate choice of the other stakeholders agitating under the banner of “mining dependents” with the singular demand of immediate start of mining in Goa on the terms and conditions disapproved and rejected by the Supreme Court and in direct contravention of the revised Mines & Minerals Development & Regulation Act.
The men whose ears are pierced by these chosen goldsmiths are not children but political leaders and representatives of the people. All the forty MLAs of the Legislative Assembly of Goa, without an exception, are sporting the ear rings of “mining dependents” and all the political parties who have presence in Goa including those who do not have any account in the Goa Assembly are verbatim with the lease-holders. There is no voice of dissent in Goa’s legislative chamber. Also, there is no place for reason, fairness and sanity. Three cheers for lease-holders for engineering this feat!
When people hear the word “fascism” they naturally think of its ugly racism and anti-Semitism as practiced by the totalitarian regimes of Mussolini and Hitler. The word fascism may no longer be politically acceptable, but its synonym in the context of mining could be ordinance or parliamentary enactment holding the barrel of a gun with no space for dissent. An inch of space for an alternative view even for sake of an academic argument would invite the wrath of “mining dependents”. The mining lobby, the government of Goa and the legislators cutting across party lines are bonded into a close-knit group who work together and protect one another’s interests. In criminal parlance such a conglomeration is referred to as mafia; a mutually supportive clique for who utter disrespect and contempt for laws is the rule as the law-makers and law-enforcers are also members of the team.
The emerging scenario is that the economic activity of mining in Goa should be positioned above the laws which are otherwise applied throughout the country. The NGOs holding cudgels for sustainable mining and others who assert their rights to the natural resources are hunted as anti-development and in a way perceived as social criminals who need to be taught a lesson. The mining sector businessmen are directing what edicts, decrees and economic legislation the government should enact and that too without dissent from any political party or parliamentarian for restart of mining operations. In short, the demand is to insulate mining activity from the laws of the land injecting the fear of Goa’s economic collapse. This economic dictatorship is sought to be legitimised through the democratic process of legislation.
The latest judgement of the Supreme Court (February, 2018) has paved the way for commencement of mining operations. Underlining that rapacious and rampant exploitation of our natural resources with total lack of concern for environment and the health of denizens in the vicinity of mines cannot continue to be the hallmark of iron ore mining sector, the Supreme Court has laid down directions for the mining industry and mineral development. Recognising that minerals are a finite and non-renewable national resources, the apex court has called for exploitation of these resources in the larger interests of the State. Revenue and royalty from mining cannot be the only reasons as they are petty crumbs to justify field day to mining lease-holders. Taking a balanced view of Economy, Equity, Environment and Livelihood, the State of Goa is directed to take all steps to grant fresh mining leases in accordance with the provisions of the MMDR Act and further the Ministry of Environment and Forests should take steps to grant fresh environmental clearances to all those who obtain fresh mining leases. Now, it is for the government to act afresh as the hasty renewal of leases done earlier were set aside as fraudulent. The State of Goa is also directed to take steps for recovery of amounts due from the lease-holders as per the reports of SIT and the team of Chartered Accountants appointed by the government.
Goa should be open to all economic activity with no exceptions. There is no reason for non-resumption of mining as it is a traditional economic enterprise. But, the coercive strategy of the mining lobby needs to be contained and arrested. The forty legislators of Goa have renounced their power. As elected representatives of the people, they have also abandoned people’s interests and power. The protagonists of sustainable mining with inter-generational equity and the mining affected have no voice in Goa’s apex legislative institution. In fact, the government and the legislators are expected to be the voice of the voiceless minority and marginalized groups.
The similar is the story of titles bestowed by colonial or former Indian rulers like ‘Conde’, ‘Viscount’, ‘Barrao’, ‘Mocasodar’ properties. This feudal arrangement is yet another instance of economic fascism in land ownership. This landlordism and dictatorial threats under banner of “mining dependents” does not augur well in liberated democratic Goa. Development cannot stand as the argument, if it is not sustainable, equitable and constitutionally tenable.
(The writer is an
educationist and political commentator)
