Mining companies, stakeholders comprising of earthmoving machinery suppliers, trucks owners, barges owners and ore traders, the Chief Ministers of Goa, the MLAs of Goa (especially of the mining areas), environmentalists, activists, intellectuals, in short all and sundry came out vociferously expressing their opinions on the banned Goa mining and the causes thereof. The opinions, off course, depended on which side their bread had been buttered. Lengthy and complex sounding laws were flung at us, sections and subsections of rules and regulations were selectively chosen and presented in incomprehensible jargon to us lesser mortals, all in an attempt to further confuse the already confused Goan. The services of the stalwarts and luminaries of the legal profession were hired to dig out anything and everything from the law book that might even remotely help in saving the thick skins of the looters and plunderers. This “law will take its own course” cliché continued. The common man continued to be in a dazed state, unable to get answers to his simplest of questions and hoping to see the culprits brought to book. High hopes indeed!
We are ordinary souls and do not understand the intricacies and expertise involved in spinning such a huge web of corruption, deceit and forgery resulting in the loss of 35000 crores rupees to the state exchequer. What we do understand is what Justice Shah, appointed by the then Union government to probe the illegal mining of iron ore in Goa, told us. All the mining leases in Goa were operating without the mandatory permission of the National Wildlife Board. Most of the Goan mining leases was operating from the year 2007 onwards in forest and eco sensitive areas without permits. Most of the operating leases were contravening either pollution, forest, wildlife or other statutory requirements and permissions, thus badly damaging Goa’s fragile eco balance by polluting the air and water, disturbing public peace and tranquillity and damaging the quality of life of the Goan people (especially those inhabiting these mining areas). This gross illegal mining caused a loss of Rs. 35000 crores to the state of Goa. Period. To think that a scam of this magnitude was happening right under the noses of successive governments and it was unaware, meant that we had elected imbeciles as our governments’ representatives, which we have not. Do we need rocket technology then to deduce that this mega scam was a result of a deep nexus between a cosy club of miners, babus in the Goan and Indian bureaucracy, ore traders and exporters, port authorities and all other mining associated agencies, and the Government, conniving and colluding to defraud the state and national exchequer, loot and plunder the people’s minerals, siphon off and stash huge amounts ending up banning mining in Goa and depriving so many people of their honest livelihood by killing the proverbial goose that laid the golden egg? The then Leader of the Opposition (now Union Defence Minister) screamed from the rooftops through his Public Accounts Committee report, that there was gross illegal mining going on in Goa and that ministers in the government were involved in it. How we clapped as we snuggled closer to this hero of a man!!
Like so many other reports of appointed Commissions, Justice M.B. Shah’s report too might have never seen the light of the day and got shelved somewhere in the deep recesses of the government archives, had it not been for a crusader of protection of the environment. This man has spent his life fighting to preserve the environment. This multifaceted personality is an author, an environmentalist, a crusader, a man who loves Mother Earth, her nature, her air, her water and her flora and fauna. Ably supported by his lawyer wife Norma, Claude Alvares had the grit and determination to stop the loot and plunder of his beloved Goa’s minerals, and his NGO Goa Foundation filed a writ petition in the apex court against the Union and State governments, based on the Justice M.B Shah report of enquiry in Goa’s illegal mining.
And if we recollect, so much drama unfolded then. With a thumping majority we elected our then Opposition leader to be the Chief Minister of the state and he promptly banned the mining activity in Goa. “I have banned mining and will weed out all illegal mining, bring the looters and plunderers to book and restart legal mining!” he roared. We were in raptures for having chosen our Mr. Right. Most of us had visions of some of our then corrupt ministers in white with black striped uniforms, languishing at Aguada. And we waited. And waited and waited. Nothing happened. And then our Chief Minister proclaimed to Goa and the whole world that “there is no illegal mining in Goa”. And we slowly came face to face with the stark reality that, cutting across governments and parties, all politicians are in cahoots with one another and will go any length to save each others’ necks from the gallows.
In the meanwhile the apex court, taking cognizance of Goa Foundation’s petition, banned all mining activity, ore sale, exports, trade and transportation and appointed an Empowered Committee for fact finding. Mining in Goa came to a standstill. Goa should have lauded Dr. Claude, for having protected our interest in the apex Court, and put him on a pedestal. This was the most natural thing to do. To cover up their dark sins, many powers worked overtime to paint him a horrendous villain, responsible for starving the mining dependent people. One can imagine the pressure this duo was under, pitted against the State with all its might, the miners, the mining stake holders and the powers that be. Nothing short of a steely resolve could withstand this. Allegations and accusations were hurled at them. Threats, abuses, character assassination, even assault was resorted to, to break his resolve. Claude and Norma stood solid as a rock of Gibraltar. Someone said his NGO had illicit foreign funding. Claude was open to any probe. People of Goa couldn’t care less as long as he was using it for Goa’s good. After all, the end justifies the means. He fought relentlessly in the courts to clean up the mess in Goa mining.
And after long deliberations lasting nineteen months, the apex court lifted the mining ban. The process of restarting was to be carried out as per strictures passed by the apex court. Just when we thought the state would follow the court’s orders in toto, after having been shamed, castigated, admonished and indicted by the apex court, we were rudely shocked and taken aback to learn that the state had once again renewed mining leases for resumption allegedly by fraudulent means. Encore! The case is back in the apex court, once again under the ever vigilant watchdog Goa Foundation. And once again the name calling charade has restarted. Anti-national, enemy of the state, people with vested interests and anti-development are some of the phrases used against it. “Probe its sources of income” is the call given by our government. (Do we really not have more eligible “rags to riches” candidates to probe?) His first petition opened up a Pandora box of illegal mining. What will the new petition open? Instead of waiting for the apex court to come to a conclusion, why are we denouncing and demeaning a man who has worked relentlessly for the people of Goa?
Dark clouds continue to hover over full-fledged mining resumption in Goa even after forty months of mining closure. But Goans need not worry as long as our mining is – under a “Claude”
P.S- It’s been forty months since mining stopped in Goa and every village bumpkin knows who the powerful ministers, MLAs, miners and traders involved in the illegal mining were. The MB Shah report clearly outlines the illegalities. Every government department involved is mentioned. The state lost 35000 crores in this scam. In spite of all this the normal Goan asks the basic questions: 1) Except for the then Director of mines and geology, why hasn’t a single head rolled?
2) Are we fools to believe that the small fry being indicted is responsible for this mega scam? When is the big fish going to be netted, if ever? 3) When and how is Goa going to recover the 35000 crores rupees? 4) When a thief is caught robbing 50 bucks, we all know the treatment meted out to him. How many more years will it take to “catch” the “looters and plunderers” of the exchequer? Or will the “court-kacheri” go on and on and on and the guilty ultimately die of old age?
