PANJIM: With hardly four days left for the iron ore mining industry to come to a standstill, as a last resort, the BJP is set to call on its Central leadership on Monday, for immediate intervention to protect the livelihood of over two lakh mining dependents, who would be rendered unemployed with the closure of mining activities from March 16.
The move is also basically to pacify the anguished MLAs from the mining belt, who are frustrated with government attitude towards the upcoming crisis.
BJP’s Member of Parliament (MP) for Lok Sabha Shripad Naik (Minister for Ayush), Narendra Sawaikar and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar will call on Union Minister for Shipping and Goa Desk in-charge Nitin Gadkari and Party president Amit Shah on Monday, with plea to work out solution for the economic crisis that is going to hit the State in form of mining ban.
The MPs will request Gadkari to come down to Goa and have meeting with BJP and its coalition partners – MGP, Goa Forward party and Independents- to work out collective solution to the problem and plan future course of action.
Speaking to Herald, Tendulkar said that the appointment with Amit Shah is not yet confirmed but will ensure that we three MPs along with Gadkari meet Shah and put forth the ground situation in Goa and also the party’s view.
“Currently, the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha are in session and to pass an ordinance keeping in abeyance Supreme Court order, may not be possible as it needs support from opposition also. Also, we cannot ignore the facts, that following Supreme Court directives, States like Karnataka and Orissa have gone for auction of leases,” Tendulkar, the State BJP president, said.
“We will be requesting Gadkari and Shah to ensure that the livelihood of the people dependent on the business is not affected. That is basically the concern of all the MLAs and more specifically legislators from mining belt,” he said.
“We will be requesting the State in-charge be sent to Goa to have talks with BJP and its alliance partners on the issue and for collective outcome, the MP added.
The all-party delegation led by BJP that had approached the Central Ministers including Gadkari and Piyush Goyal and failed to get any concert assurance on the issue. They were directed to get a cabinet approval for continuation of mining through an Ordinance. However, the State cabinet failed to meet till date in absence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is undergoing medical treatment in USA.
This has upset the BJP MLAs, who are missing Chief Minister at this point of crisis. Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral said, “If the mining activities are stopped and I am not able to help my people, who will be suffering due to mining ban, then why should I be there? I better go,” he said adding “The MPs have assured me to take up the matter with Central leaders and work out solution at the earliest.”
Bicholim MLA Rajesh Patnekar, too sounded upset with no developments taking place to solve the mining crisis.
“The Cabinet Advisory Committee should have met once and resolved and put up the proposal before the government. But what is happening is quite disturbing. We have no time left and action needs to be immediately,” he said.
Patnekar said, “If Chief Minister was in Goa, there would have been some solution to the problem.”
A similar view was also expressed by MGP’s Sanvordem MLA Deepak Pauskar, who said that it is the duty of the MLA and government to ensure that people do not suffer.
“Chief Minister had taken the initiate soon after the Supreme Court order by having a joint meeting of all party MLAs from mining belt. But then due to his health condition, he was not able to have more meetings or be a part of our all-party delegation to Delhi,” he said.
