PANAJI
Aam Aadmi Party leader Puti Gaonkar on Thursday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be visiting the state on the occasion of Goa's 60th Liberation Day, should announce when mining will resume in Goa.
In a press release, AAP said Gaonkar recalled that in February 2019, while addressing the gathering at Shyama Prasad Mukherjee stadium, Modi assured that he would look for a resolution to restart mining operations in the state.
He said, “It’s been two years since then, the BJP government hasn't taken any step to resuming mining in the state. The cessation of mining had affected 12,000 truck owners, 700 machinery and around three lakh families, but the BJP government has ignored this”.
“The BJP government disposed of the Ayodhya matter soon. Then why they didn’t try for an early hearing in the mining matter. This indicates that the government does not have the willpower to restart mining", he said.
"Currently, the state government is preparing to celebrate the 60th Liberation Day. We celebrate a festival when we are happy, but today in the state both the tourism and mining sector, which is the backbone of Goa’s economy, have been shut. Many people have lost their jobs and therefore they are sad. However, the government is busy organizing several events”, he said.
Gaonkar thanked AAP national convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for filing an application in the Supreme Court for an early hearing. “The Supreme Court has accepted AAP’s petition concerning the mining shutdown in Goa, and the case will now be heard in January 2022. Kejriwal is a man of words and he delivers what he says”, he said.
He further said, “In the past 10 years with BJP at the helm of the government, the state had gone back 20 years in terms of development. The government is only working for the Samruddhi of Adani and Ambani and ignoring common people. The BJP who works for its advancement shouldn’t be given a chance this time. I urge people to vote for AAP, a non-corrupt party”.
