Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Mining People’s Front (GMPF), the umbrella organization of people dependent on mining industry, has appealed to the Central government to bring in a required legislative amendment during the ongoing winter session of Parliament to ensure recommencement of the iron ore activities in the State by the end of this year.
GMPF has also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene the meeting of the Group of Ministers at the earliest so that the mining can be resumed immediately. The Front has also requested Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to arrange for their meeting with Prime Minister to discuss the issue and seek his intervention.
The mining industry in Goa has been shut since March 16, 2018.
“Mining is one of the two major sources of livelihood in Goa and the complete shutdown of mining industry has had an adverse effect on the livelihoods of more than 3 lakh people in the State,” GMPF president Puti Gaonkar said in a press statement issued on Thursday.
“The shutdown of the industry has caused an estimated loss of more than Rs 5000 crore per year to the State thereby adversely impacting the State’s finances,” he added.
Gaonkar added that they demand that the State and Central government resolve the mining issue in the ongoing winter session of the Parliament. “We appeal to the Government of India for recommencement of mining activities by end of this year. We look forward for a positive and immediate decision and if no action is taken during the Winter session for mining resumption, than there will be no survival of the mining dependents in the State,” he said.
While thanking the Goa government for filing the review petition in Supreme Court on November 19, GMPF demanded that the government continues pushing the Centre and ensures that a legislative amendment, which will be a long term solution for sustainable mining in the State, is introduced during the ongoing Winter Session.
The State government as well as GMPF, have been demanding for an amendment to Goa, Daman and Diu (Abolition and Declaration of Mining leases) Act in a bid to extend the life of leases till 2037.
The union leader pointed out that during a meeting in July, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had directed the Union Mines Ministry to review the issue and come up with a positive recommendation for solving the impasse. “However, more than 100 days passed since the said meeting but yet there has been no positive movement from the Ministry in the matter,” he said.
