PONDA: The mining dependents are worried over celebrating Ganesh Festival without a job in hand and no source of income. All their businesses are shut down, they claim. It’s now 7 months that Supreme Court ordered mining to be closed and they are suffering since then.
With no hope of mining to restart soon the mining dependents are alarmed that the Central Government, which has asked State Assembly resolution seeking amendment to Mining Concession and Abolition Act 1987 for immediate start of mining, has shown no sign of reviving mining activities.
All Goa Mining Dependent People’s Front president Puthi Gaonkar has demanded Rs 25,000 for celebration of Ganesh Festival. He has also asked to further continue Rs 25,000 per month to Direct Mining Dependents which are around 60,000 registered with the front till mining commences in Goa. The front says the government had earned crores of rupees through mining by way of taxes and E-auction and also crores of rupees in fund lies with Government. It also reminded the Goa Government of the SC order in the past to rehabilitate mining dependents.
Several mining companies had retrenched workers and have no source of livelihood. Mining Dependents have decided to protest at Delhi in one month’s time in large numbers. They are demanding that all three MPs of Goa should help them in providing accommodation for the protesting mining dependents in Delhi.
He demanded relief for Ganesh festival for the members of AGMPF members, including truck owners, machinery owners, workers of mining companies, officials, etc.
He said they have no objection if indirect dependents such as hotel owners, bar owners, garage owners, auto spare part traders, tyre remolders, etc, are paid by the government.
Ramesh Maynekar, working in Chowgule Mining Company at Shirgao, said more than 70 workers has been retrenched forcefully by the company in last July with meagre compensation and they have now no source of livelihood.
He criticised environmentalist Claude Alvares for stating that mining should be run by a government corporation. “This is not a practical solution. Several such undertakings of the government in the past have failed to deliver, and have been closed and sold to private companies.”
He provided a list of Government undertakings, companies and corporations that failed in the past which include Goa Antibiotic, ACGL, Goa Auto Accessories, Goa Time Watch, Goa Electronic which were run in losses and sold by Government to private companies.
“Goa’s mining case is different from the mining in all the other States of India. In Goa the land is private and hence continuation of Portuguese era concession is the option for survival of mining dependents,” he said. He also said that there is “neither mining boom nor high prevailing rates for Goan ore which is of lowgraded.”
