VALPOI: The mining workers and truck owners on Friday decided to hold a massive protest in Panjim on March 19, to press for restarting mining at the earliest.
The decision to hold a protest at Panjim was taken at a meeting of the executive committees of All Goa Truck Owner Association, North Goa Truck Owner Association, South Goa Truck Owner Association, All Goa Machine Owner Association, Sesa Goa Employees Union and local representative of mining dependents.
Addressing the media after the meeting, All Goa Truck Owner Association President Nilkant Gawas said, “Our families are questioning us as to what is our future; our children are questioning us how are we going to pay their education fees; we all are afraid of our future as we all are totally dependent on mining. Therefore, we have planned a mega protest in Panjim on March 19 to show the strength of mining dependent people and highlight the problems we are facing due to the ban on mining. If our problems are not solved, then, we will come on road. Around two lakh people are dependent on mining in Goa.”
“If our MLAs are concerned over our issue, then, they should assure us that they will restart the mining activities at the earliest. Since the BJP is in power both in the State and at the Centre, they can restart the mining at the earliest,” he said.
Gawas said that he had no words to explain the difficulties the mining dependent families would be facing after the closure of mining. “A time might come when we may have to commit suicide,” he said highlighting the level of desperation the families would be pushed to.
Claiming that since February 1, till the closure of mining on Friday, iron ore worth Rs 1,44,000 corer was extracted, Gawas requested the government to invest this money for the rehabilitation of mining dependents.
Truck owner Prakash Rao Desai held the government solely responsible for the mining closure, saying “While auctioning the mines, the government didn’t follow proper procedure; it leased out the mines without proper documentation. But we are in trouble for the mistakes of the government.”
President of Sesa Goa Employees Union Devanand Parab said that all 6,000 members of his union would support the protest and would be present in Panjim on March 19. “The time has come to show our unity. We have to bring to the attention of the government and the Supreme Court our suffering due to the mining ban. We will not leave the Azad Maidan till our demands are fulfilled. If needed, we will protest for 15 days till the government makes provision and restarts mining,” he said.
Lady representative Geetanjali said, “After the 2012 mining ban, we had restarted mining by protesting and getting beaten up by the police. Now we have to be once again ready for this. This is government fault, but we have to face the consequences. We have taken loans by pledging our gold with the banks to repair our trucks and pay insurance. How are we going to repay our loans? The government should either waive our loans or should restart mining at the earliest.”
Social activist and truck owner Hanumant Parab said, “What is our Member of Parliament doing? He has not taken any initiative to bring our issue in Parliament since last five years. We elect them to take our issue and represent us before the government, but no such thing is done by the MP. At any cost we have to pressurise the government to restart mining at the earliest.”
