When will Rs 720 mining royalty be ploughed back?

When will Rs 720 mining royalty be ploughed back?
PANJIM, FEB 19: The state collects crores from the mining industry through various taxes but the government continues to turn the Nelson’s Eye to the genuine grievances of the citizens, who want freedom from the chaotic situation they have to face every day.
Today, the mining industry has become one of the major revenue earners for the State government – thanks for the Central government’s decision to levy royalty on advolerum basis.
This year, compared to the last three years the royalty collected has seen a staggering increase of over 2000 per cent.
While the collection was around Rs 36 crores in 2007-08 and 2008-09, it jumped upto 292 crores in 2009-10.
In 2010-11 the figure has further seen a steep increase up to whopping 720 cr as on 18th Feb 2011.
According to the officials in the Mines department they are expecting the figure to cross 850 crores by the end of financial year.
But will people in the mining areas benefit from this increase?
Right now the people in the mining areas want freedom from the mining pollution caused by the movement of trucks, traffic congestion – which is causing fatal accidents among other things.
Glenn Kalawampara, General Secretary of the Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association (GMOEA) says the industry is contributing much more than just in form of royalty.
“I think the government is getting a sizeable chunk from the mining industry,” he explains.
Besides royalty, Glenn continued, the government also earns from the road tax, port charges (Panjim), cess on diesel etc.
“Now that the government is earning much more through royalty we expect at least some portion of that for infrastructure development especially with regards to waterways and the roadways,” he stated adding “
He said the industry too is playing its part in developing infrastructure like the recently opened four-lane Usgao bridge and besides they have also assured support to the mining infrastructure fund mooted by the State government.
However, all said and done the State government feels it has already been doing well enough for improvement of infrastructure.
Chief Minister Digambar Kamat though is giving no assurances that minig royalty will be ploughed  back into development in the mining areas “We are still in process of drafting the budget, so nothing can be said now”, he told Herald.
 “If that was so then we are getting taxes from various areas all would have been spent for only that particular purposes, which cannot be done as we need to think of the entire state for the year,” he said.
 Recently, the CM has assured the people of Curchorem and Quepem that mining corridors would be created to ease traffic in these areas.
However, the decision has come only after the people decided to agitate and get their demands met.