PANJIM: With a fortnight left for that deadline, the government has said that it is clearly unable to maintain the mining pits of erstwhile mining leases in view of the approaching monsoon season owing to the 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.
Environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar said, “Leaving behind water pumping machinery will not ensure mining leaseholders possession. The government made the right decision to keep the pumping machinery at the mining pits. However, mining companies have revealed a mining plan in which they state that they will make sure that the environment will return back to as it was earlier. The water in mining pits should not enter the villages during monsoons.”
Pissurlem-based activist Hanumant Parab, who was brutally thrashed by the Valpoi police for protesting against mining transportation through the village, said, “Asking mining leaseholders to leave the pumping machinery behind is a wrong decision. In our village, Pissurlem, which is a mining belt, it was the water resource department that installed the pumping machinery and not the leaseholders. If we keep the leaseholder’s machinery it means that they are still holding possession of the area.
Goa Foundation Director and environmentalist Claude Alvares said, “The Government on one side says that they don’t want mining companies and on the other hand they want the mining companies to take care of the pits. These are just double standards. These mining companies have made money, now they have to close these pits and hand it back to the Government.”
He, however, pointed out there are only a few mining pits that are full of water.
