PANJIM: As promised to the mining dependents, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai met Union Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi on Saturday morning with a representation urging his intervention in resuming mining operations in the State.
Sardesai, who is the Goa Forward Party president, had a long chat with Prabhu explaining the need for early resumption of the mining sector, which has been a backbone of the State’s economy and is also a source of livelihood for thousands of people.
Sardesai said the government has to take some strong decisive measures in public interests to see that the hardship suffered by very significant part of the population is alleviated.
He also submitted a representation to the Union Minister which pointed out that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar vide letter dated September 24, 2018 wrote to Union Mines Minister Narendra Singh Tomar requesting him to take appropriate steps to bring about necessary amendment to the Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation Act (MMDR) so that mining in Goa resumes at the earliest.
Subsequent to the letter the Mines Ministry, in consultation with the Law Ministry referred the file to the Attorney General seeking his legal opinion on the proposal. However the Attorney General referred the file for opinion to the then Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh, who in the interim resigned from his post without giving an opinion on the file.
At present the file has been sent back to the Attorney General for further reference to another officer.
“The delay is resulting in further contraction of timelines if the amendment is required to be brought forward in the Winter Session of the Parliament to provide much needed relief to lakhs of people engaged in mining,” Sardesai said.
