PANJIM: In a scathing attack on the villagers from the mining belts involved in halting the iron ore transportation, the State government has alleged that the locals in the vicinity were involved in extorting money from lease holders in the name of dust pollution, traffic jam, etc prior to suspension of activities in September 2012.
“Prior to suspension of mining in September 2012, when price of mineral was at peak, in the name of social cost, dust pollution, traffic jam, etc, some of the people residing in the vicinity of transportation routes were extorting money from the lease holders and the same was paid by the lease holders under distress,” Director of Mines Prasanna Acharya has said in a statement on Friday.
The statement comes following series of actions by the villagers from the mining areas to halt the transportation of e-auctioned ore. The recent one involves villagers from Sonshi in Bicholim, wherein over hundreds of locals were detained by the police for trying to block transport of ore.
Even after repeated requests and warning the continuous acts of the villagers has forced Mines department to issue directions to the District Magistrate and police to take stern and swift action against all those involved for contempt of Supreme Court order.
Acharya has said that it is imperative that in upholding the provisions of law and enforcing the directions of the Apex Court, all organs and instrumentalities of the State should work in perfect harmony.
“Any act of commission or omission done by any member of society to obstruct legal mining operations or transportation or storage thereof are not only to be acted against swiftly but also sternly,” he said.
