Team Herald
PONDA: Lot is said about how mining dependent locals’ livelihood will be affected, and that mines should be continue without any break. Though the poor common man depends on mining to keep alive his small business like, shops, hotels, tyre puncture joints, garages, etc, there are also some tycoons who have invested crores of rupees in this business and are desperate for mining to continue. But they are not coming out openly but through their local panchas and sarpanchas who are also having trucks and machineries in mining.
According to some locals in Usgao mining belt, many top politicians have their hands deep in the mining business all over Goa. They have machineries, barges, and trucks but they are running their business in the name of family members and relatives. Their connections with mining companies which are helping these politicians have reportedly made them work very closely with the politicos to retain mining.
Further even in 2012, locals said, “some Government officials were involved in the business with trucks, but when Government asked them to register themselves to get monthly relief after closure of mining they did not come forward fearing their illegalities and connections in mining business would be exposed,” said a local from Usgao. The Supreme Court of India has passed strictures on the government for allowing loot of ore in Goa by mining companies and no control and regulation to protect environment.
Meanwhile, a Usgao villager said that around 50 per cent locals are mining dependents but rest 50 per cent who are not related are fed up with trucks plying till late night as mining comes to closure. Since past week the mining ore transportation time is seen extended by truckers and instead of morning 8 am to evening 6 pm, the truckers were plying ore late night and slowly from after increasing their timing from 6 pm to 7 pm and then to 8 pm to 9.30 pm now with just 2 days are left they are transporting ore till 11.30 pm and locals are not even getting chance to cross road.
Locals fear for last two days as mining companies may extract more ore and truckers will ply the whole night for transporting ore risking lives of locals.
