PANJIM: The Congress leaders on Friday held a protest at the Directorate of Mines and Geology in the city, demanding that the government must stop 80,000 tonnes iron ore loading onto the Lila Fuji vessel at Mormugao Port by Vedanta, till they pay the outstanding dues of Rs 165 crore.
The party leaders also questioned the lethargic approach of the government to recover Rs 271 crore of mining dues from various defaulters.
”How can the Mines Department permit Vedanta to export iron ore, when they have not paid the outstanding dues of the government?” questioned Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Amit Patkar, while speaking to reporters. He also alleged that the Directorate of Mines and Geology has adopted faulty procedure in demarcating the lease areas of the mining blocks in Bicholim taluka.
“BJP government wants to sell temples and places of worships to the mine operators. This is the Hindutva agenda of the BJP,” Patkar alleged.
”The BJP government is not making timely payments to the beneficiaries of social welfare schemes due to lack of funds, but is not taking steps to recover the outstanding dues from the mining defaulters. This shows that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is having vested interest in the mining business,” Patkar charged.
