PANJIM: One-and-a-half decades after their mining leases expired, the mining barons were asked to pack all their machinery by June 6. However, with monsoon set to approach, the government had gone back to the mining companies not to remove the water pumps, used for pumping water from the mining pits. But take their machinery and all other belongings out.
With a fortnight left for that deadline, the government has said that it is clearly unable to maintain the mining pits in view of the approaching monsoon season owing to Water Resources Department’s inability to look after it.
It was expected that once the leaseholders have been asked to vacate, all activity on those leases would be done by the government since the people are custodians of all mineral resources and the State works as a watchdog.
Informing the media the WRD Minister Subhash Shirodkar expressed his department’s inability to manage all the mining pits at the same time during the monsoon. He said, “Former mining leaseholder companies have been asked by the government to maintain the mining pits for this monsoon season. The Chief Secretary held a meeting with the representatives of mining companies in this regard this (Monday) morning,” Shirodkar said.
“WRD will not be able to manage all these pits on its own, all of a sudden. Dewatering is possible, however managing landslides, etc, can have issues,” he added.
The decision to ask the former operators, basically the mining companies who have been hauled by the Supreme Court twice for mining irregularities, to keep looking after the mining pits on leases that are not theirs, was taken a by Chief Secretary Puneet Goel, who is also the Secretary (Mines); District Collectors, Director of Mines and Geology Department, WRD officials and others on Monday.
