TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Maintaining that the Supreme Court has ruled that mineral ore belongs to the people, Goa Foundation Chairman Dr Claude Alvares on Saturday called upon Goans to pressurise the Parrikar government to renew the mining leases only after making the companies pay the maximum value for the ore.
“Mining leases should be granted to the companies only after they pay maximum value for the ore to the people of Goa. Let the revenue go into sovereign or permanent fund”, he said at an interaction organised by Goans for Goa at the Gomant Vidya Niketan hall on Saturday.
Dishing out statistics, Alvares said the total mining business carried out during the last 10 years was to the tune of Rs 87,000 crore. “It is indeed sad that when the ore belongs to the people, the government benefited only to the tune of Rs 2,800 crore, while the balance amount went into the pockets of private companies”, he said.
Welcoming the Supreme Court ruling that 10 per cent of the revenue from mineral ore should go into a permanent fund, Alvares, however, said that people of Goa should fight for 100 per cent revenue coming into the permanent fund. “The ore belongs to the people of Goa. Let the government set up a Corporation to sell the ore to the companies or let existing corporations take the responsibility of ensuring the state receives maximum value for the ore”, he said.
In his address, social activist Adv Aires Rodrigues said the face of Goa has changed and is beyond recognition after Parrikar returned to power. He slammed the Chief Minister for not constituting the State Information Commission to ensure that people do not get the right information. “Parrikar is against transparency”, he said, while accusing the government for the rampant corruption in the state.
Goans for Goa President Kennedy Afonso said the non-political organisation will set up a network across Goa and the world over to secure the interest of Goans.
He said the GFG will soon form the Village Advisory Councils to facilitate formation of ward development committees in order to put the village development plans in place.
A number of speakers addressed the convention on burning issues plaguing
the state.
