IT'S A MEETING OF
All-party MLAs and ministers
WHERE'S THE VENUE
At the Secretariat Complex
WHO WILL CHAIR
PWD Minister Sudin Dhavalikar
OFFICIALS COMING
Chief Secretary
Secretary (Mines)
Director of Mines
CM'S GUIDANCE
* Dhavalikar calls on Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar at the Goa Medical College and Hospital
* CM is believed to have given instructions to Dhavalikar on what he thinks is the way forward
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PANAJI: The Goa Government will host an ‘all-party’ meeting of MLAs and ministers on Thursday as they seek to finalise a way forward to ‘solve’ the impending mining impasse.
The meeting will be chaired by PWD Minister Ramkrishna “Sudin” Dhavalikar, the second senior-most minister in the cabinet and will also see the presence of the Chief Secretary, the Secretary (Mines) the Director of Mines and other officials.
Besides officials, all MLAs from the regions operating the mining belt representing all political parties will be present for the meeting with the Government expected to approve a situation report to be handed over to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari as well as possibly the Prime Minister.
Sources have told The Goan, that the meeting will decide the course of action especially in view of the fast-approaching deadline of March 15 by which date, according to the Supreme Court order, all mining operations will cease.
Earlier in the day, Dhavalikar called on Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar who continues to recover from his case of slight dehydration at the Goa Medical College and Hospital. The Chief Minister is believed to have given instructions to Dhavalikar on what he thinks is the way forward out of the impasse.
The meeting will be held at the Secretariat Complex.
The Government of Goa has decided to constitute an all-party committee under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to decide a strategy on how to take forward the mining issue.
Earlier Leader of the house and PWD Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar on the final day of the assembly had said that in order to clear the ambiguity he has announced that the government was forming a committee to take the issue forward.
“In pursuant to yesterday’s discussion held in the house on the mining issue, the government has decided to constitute an all-party committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister to decide the strategy of resuming continuing mining activity in the state and to follow up the matter with various agencies of state central government and if required the same committee will meet the Prime Minister,” Dhavalikar said during the zero hour.
Several legislators prominently Nilesh Cabral of Curchorem have been insistent that there be no ceasing of mining operations and that the government should do whatever it takes to ensure that there is no ‘intermission’ in mining in Goa.
A campaign to highlight the plight of the mining-affected persons who are likely to be impacted by the shutdown has also commenced.
