PORVORIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said on the floor of the State Assembly that now the successful bidders will not be permitted to undertake any mining operations around religious or residential structures.
Replying to a calling attention notice tabled by Bicholim MLA Chandrakant Shetye, the Chief Minister said while auctioning blocks the same lease bouandaries of earlier erstwhile leases are maintained and the said leases were in operation for the past many years.
“The erstwhile lease holders were operating the mining leases with the existing structures be it religious or residential. The erstwhile lease holders never did any excavation around these structures. However, now even successful bidders will not be permitted to undertake any mining operations around these structures,” the Chief Minister said.
But the stake holders in the mining belt were less than impressed.
“The CM’s statement gives a message that houses are going to be shifted. It means what matters is temples, doesn’t apply to houses. If the houses are shifted, then what is the point in having temples in the village. What is the point of having temples when there are no
people. It is ridiculous,” environmentalist, Ramesh Gauns said.
He added, “The law very clearly states that anything within mining area can be shifted, whether the CM desires or not. ”
Dinanath Gaonkar, President, Kharat Savat Khajan Tenant Association, said, “Mining is existing since 1941. Then mining was operated illegally between 2007 and 2012. Again the government has given leases to the mining companies for 50 years. Now all houses, temples, water bodies, schools, panchayat building, farm lands have been brought under mining leases.”
“Total water bodies in the village have been destroyed by the mining companies. Last year we requested the government. We had requested in 2013 and 2014 as well to exclude all the properties while granting mining leases when the mining operations were stopped by the Supreme Court. We wrote to the government that these properties like settlement, water bodies, temples or schools should be excluded when the lease agreement is to be signed,” Gaonkar said.
“But the same mistake was made when the mining leases were signed,” said Gaonkar, adding, “now everything is in mining leases. Now 80 per cent of the villages have been destroyed.”
“Nothing is left there. Even government wants to take away the remaining 20 per cent also. We cannot tolerate such things. As the government ignored our requests, we approached the High Court,” he said.
Gaonkar said the villagers can not accept the destruction caused by the mining companies.
“Only 27 villages have been excluded in the leases granted to the mining companies. Now we are firm that except repair of the properties, no mining leases should be allowed in Shirgao,” he said.
