TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Wednesday expressed confidence that the Central Government would not hinder the resumption of mining in the State, predicting that there would be change of guard at the Centre.
“My prediction is that Central government will change… People might have decided. And I don’t think the present government will bring more obstacles,” he said, while responding to a question by Sankhali MLA Pramod Sawant who asked when exactly mining would resume.
The chief minister also said that MoEF too will not have any objection to resumption of mining and their affidavit in the Supreme Court was little different from the State government, alleging that MoEF was trying to save its skin.
MoEF had suspended the environment clearances of all mining leases in the State, September 2012, and asked the mine owners to submit their documents, after the State government ordered temporary suspension of mining operations till verification of documents was done. Subsequently the matter went to the SC.
Mining was halted by the SC in September itself, and the Centrally Empowered Committee (CEC) was commissioned to probe into allegations of illegal mining, as pointed out by Justice M B Shah Commission in its report.
