Team Herald
BICHOLIM: The villagers of Adwalpale have demanded the removal of 500 houses, temples and water bodies from Fomento’s Adwalpale mining lease.
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The demand was made at a joint meeting of Adwalpale locals, mining lease holders and Bicholim Deputy Collector and Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Rohan Kaskar. The meeting was also attended by Bicholim mamlatdar Praveen Gawas, Bicholim MLA Chandrakant Shetye. However, the officials from the Directorate of Mines and Geology abstained.
The meeting also expressed concern over the total destruction of agriculture in the village due to indiscriminate mining activity.
Premanand Salgaonkar, a villager, complained that the government totally neglected farming, which was the main source of income for the Adwalpale village.
“The claims made by the government about “Sarkar Tumchya Dari” (government at your doorstep) and “Swayampurna Goa” initiative were hollow and misleading and not aimed at addressing public grievances,” said Salgaonkar.
Another local Keshav Naik said as per the Supreme Court judgment, all mining leases were quashed for violating procedure and the State government was directed to issue fresh licences through a bidding process. However, the government had not taken any initiative to identify the new leases. On the contrary, the activities are being undertaken in the same leases which were quashed in 2018.
Naik expressed his displeasure at the manner the government officials were handling the mining issues.
“In the past, the company had filed criminal cases against the locals opposing mining activity and feared that same would repeat this time too wherein the company may lodge cases against them under section 133 of CrPC,” he added.
Bicholim MLA Chandrakant Shetye said that the company representatives should give in writing all the parameters which they have assured the Adwalpale villagers while undertaking mining activities. He said the main demand of the locals to exclude the houses, water bodies and temples from the mining lease should be fulfilled on a priority basis. The villagers also expressed their concern about the depletion of the water table due to the impact of mining and compensation for causing damage to their fields.
“I have already urged the mining company to withdraw all the cases filed against the locals in the past,” said Shetye.
Fomento representatives who were present assured the locals that the company would withdraw all the criminal cases filed against them and assured them to undertake sustainable mining activities.
The company officials told the villagers that they will monitor water parameters before and after the discharge of water so that the quality of water is not altered.
