Team Herald
NEW DELHI/PANJIM: Armed with a unanimous Assembly resolution, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday lobbied, first with a central Group of Ministers (GoM) led by Nitin Gadkari and then with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but without any immediate solution to the mining crisis in the State.
He said legal options are being explored to come out of the Supreme Court decision cancelling all 87 mining leases, quashing the extended ownership of all iron ore mines in the State and ordering fresh allocation after due environment clearance.
Parrikar said it is “too premature to comment on which legal option will be taken.” All three Goa MPs – Shripad Naik (minister), Narendra Sawaikar and Vinay Tendulkar (State BJP president) were with him when he met the GoM and the Prime Minister.
Claiming that the GoM gave a positive response to the mining issues and the options being considered with regard to legal amendments to remove impediments on mining, Parrikar said Goa has lost the iron ore market. He said there has to be a legal solution, but without compromising on protection of environment as stressed by the Apex Court in its judgment.
The GoM assured him to get the Assembly resolution examined by the Law Ministry as it would require promulgation of an ordinance by the Centre since it is not possible to bring a Bill in the monsoon session ending on Friday.
From Delhi Parrikar is flying to the United States for a medical check-up and so Gadkari assured him to hold the next GoM meeting on mining later this month after his return as by that time the legal opinion will be also obtained, Parrikar said.
In a tweet, he said he called on the Prime Minister and briefed him on the mining issue and other development works in Goa. In another tweet, he said: “Met the Group of Ministers in New Delhi and appraised them on mining issue in Goa. The meeting deliberated on steps to be taken to ensure early resumption of mining in Goa.”
Parrikar said Goa is staring at a complete collapse in terms of mining as Goa’s mining exports are now at zero and this is impacting 1.5 lakh people in the State.
He said he urged the Prime Minister to give priority to Goa in resolving the mining issue. He said the next step will be discussions with the legal experts on how to resume mining.
The period is, however, very short as the mining season starts in October and there is still no clarity on how the Supreme Court ruling will be overcome.
Speaking to Herald, Sawaikar said the Chief Minister presented a copy of the State Assembly resolution to the Prime Minister, who gave the delegation a patient hearing. “Chief Minister briefed PM in detail on the mining issue and also put across the ground reality,” he said and added, “Prime Minister has assured us to look into the issue on priority.”
“The meeting went on a positive note and it has been discussed to find a solution through legal means. This of course would require meetings with all concerned Ministers. But it can be said and concluded from today’s meeting that the solution will definitely follow,” Sawaikar told Herald.
The Goa Assembly had unanimously passed a private member’s resolution, piloted by BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral, last week to let the Centre amend the Goa, Daman and Diu Mining Concessions (Abolition and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, and make mining leases in Goa valid from 1987, when the Act was enacted and applied to Goa, rather than 1961, the year Goa was liberated.
Under the Portuguese, mining was categorised as concessions to be used permanently for exploration and exploitation. Since 1961, the Mines and Minerals Development Act, 1954, converted these into fixed tenure leases with 2007 as the end year. The amendment to the Goa, Daman and Diu Mining Concessions (Abolition and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act would restore the concessions. This would allow the mines to work again.
