The cabinet of Dr Pramod Sawant cleared tabling the bill in the Assembly for the formation of a state-owned and controlled Mining Corporation. Goans thank him for making this a reality. Goans hope that without a doubt the corporation will be 100 per cent State-owned and controlled and it will be the absolute supervisor and controller of all mining operations in Goa through professional experts.
The people of Goa will thank Chief Minister Sawant for this
Meanwhile, the previous evening, Thursday, the Chief Minister went to the Van Bhavan, the headquarters of the Forest Department for a meeting with the mineral association and heads of the mining industry. It was an interesting choice of venue – the Forest Department conference hall. We hope it is a sign of the times the Forest Department and the Mining Corporation will work together to ensure that the greenery that Goa has seen after the mining ban will continue and forests will get protected.
The people of Goa have great hope that the CM, as the custodian of the people’s resources conveyed a few important things on the people’s behalf to the former mining barons.
We hope Chief Minister Sawant reminded the mine owners of the dues they owe us Goans
The people of Goa respect their Chief Minister. And he is also the custodian of our mineral resources. We hope Chief Minister Sawant reminded the mine owners of the dues they owe us Goans, the owners of the soil they have been mining on.
THE MINING BARONS ILLEGALLY MINED AND SOLD ORE, EVEN AFTER MINING WAS STOPPED. THAT IS JUST ONE SMALL PART OF WHAT THEY OWE. BUT LET THEM BEGIN BY PAYING RS 3431 CRS BACK.
We are hopeful CM Sawant raised this in his meeting on Thursday with those who are defaulters
This is the amount the government said they would recover. This is the total of the mining losses post stoppage of mining plus the amount calculated by the CAG in its audit report. The CAG report stated, “We observed violation of the provision of the Acts and Rules made for the regulation of mining operation in the State. Violating the provisions of the MCD (Mineral Conservation and Development) rules and MC (Mineral Concession) rules the lessees had extracted minerals valued Rs 1,529.64 crore in excess of the mining plan”.
Do remember Goans, one is not calculating so much more that is owned. Here we are limiting ourselves to an amount committed to be recovered by the Government in court.
When a poor man defaults, the bank comes knocking on his door, threatening him. When crores are owned by the wealthy to the government, shouldn’t the government go knocking on their doors to recover?
The CM comes from a family that was involved in the mining sector and grew up in the mining belt. He knows the struggles one faces to take loans and do business. Families also take loans for their children to study and become doctors, engineers etc. And he knows what happens when families with basic income struggle to pay off their loans. They spend sleepless nights. Some even contemplate taking the final step of ending their lives.
Which is why Goans hope that he, as the owner of all mineral resources on behalf of the people will ensure that recoveries are made of what is due to us from the mining companies. If banks can go to the poor, the government can go to the rich defaulters.
This money will be used to help those who have lost their mining jobs, have loans to pay which they are unable to because there is no earning.
Goans also hope the Chief Minister explained to them that he as the Chief Minister was the custodian of all the mining leases. And the future restarting of mining would depend on him alone without any involvement of those who earlier carried out mining activity on behalf of the mining leaseholders.
We hope the CM reminded the mining barons that they have no stake in Goa’s mining anymore
Goans must know that the reason why in many of the cases either filed against the mining barons or appeals and petitions filed by the companies run by the barons, the names of the original leaseholders are mentioned and not the mining companies. So, in effect, those leaseholders do not have their leases anymore and with those leases gone, the actual barons who controlled the entire business of these leases are no longer stakeholders.
We are the owners. The resources are ours
WE HOPE THAT THE PRIVATE MINING COMPANIES WERE REMINDED THAT ARE NO LONGER IN BUSINESS
They are no longer players in the future of mining. Therefore, Goans hope the meeting of the Chief Minister with the Ore Exporters Association, was mainly to discuss the process of closure and certainly not allow any form of indirect re-entry in the mining system. The people are aware and they respect that a final order on the Special Leave Petition on the pleas of the mining companies to extend their leases till 2037 is awaited from the Court. But the State, for now, will go by final orders with respect of 88 leases whose renewals have been quashed by the court, as well as the appeals against that decision by the Supreme Court.
We hope that in the meeting that the CM had, he firmly told the outgoing mine owners that there will be no auctioning of leases
We have spelt this out before. We the owners of the soil and mineral wealth will not allow anyone to give one figure of ore mined, but illegally mine additional ore, encroach outside the lease and illegally transport, with the help of politicians. This is a criminal act more serious than illegal mining. This is stealing. Enough of this stealing has happened during the peak illegal mining years and auctioning will once again lead to this.
We will not allow a repeat of this looting. And Goans have great hope that the CM has already conveyed this to those who are hoping to come back and start mining through the back door route of auctions. That will not happen. The State will operate and control mining operations and all exports.
The hope of Goans rest on CM Sawant to do what is best for us the people – recover the loot and start state-controlled people-friendly mining and exports.
