TEAM HERALD
bureau@herald-goa.com
PONDA: Goa Mining People Front (GMPF) has decided to observe one-day bandh in 7 talukas to demand immediate resumption of legal mining .
GMPF has also threatened to boycott the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls if the MLAs do not support the GMPF in this struggle.
The decision was taken at a corner meeting organised by GMPF at Dharbandora on Monday evening. About 400 people dependent on mining attended the meet and unanimously supported the call given by the GMPF.
According to GMPF Convenor Adv Suhas Naik, the bandh will tentatively start from August 22 and there will be a meeting at Panjim on August 29.
GMPF plans are to hold a bandh in Valpoi, Sanquelim and Usgao on August 22, Mollem, Dharbandora and Khandepar (August 23), Sanguem, Curchorem, Sanvordem and Quepem (August 24), Ponda, Priol, Banastarim and Marcel (August 25) and Mormugao and Vasco (August 27).
“On August 29, we will declare our future course of action at the meeting in Panjim. We are determined to take the battle to a logical end,” said Adv Naik.
“The time has come and we must ask our MLAs whether they are with us or else, we should boycott the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls,” warned Adv Naik.
Addressing the meet, AITUC Joint Secretary Adv Raju Mangeshkar said people of Goa have to intensify the agitation to demand resumption in mining activity.
“To achieve success, our agitation should be like the ones held in the rest of the country. We need to be more aggressive in our approach,” he said.
