PANAJI
The division bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa on Friday issued notice to the Goa government and three successful bidders of the Mining blocks I, II and III in Sirigao village of Bicholim taluka.
The notices are issued on a batch of three PILs challenging the government decisions to go ahead with the mineral block e-auction.
The petitions also challenge the Letters of Intent issued to the three successful bidders: Vedanta Ltd., Salgaoncar Shipping Co Pvt Ltd, and M/s Rajaram Bandekar (Sirigao) Mines Pvt Ltd.
Earlier, lease-holders of these leases have been made respondents as well.
The main petitioners is the principal deity of the Shri Devi Lairai Temple herself through the President of the Shri Devi Lairai Temple trust and by villagers of Sirigao. The petitioner has contended that mining activity has been carried out in the village environment for a period exceeding 50 years till it was halted by the Supreme Court in October 2012.
The primary grievance of the petitioners is that the village settlement including the Devi Lairai temple, the homes, the schools, fields within the boundaries of the mining blocks auctioned.
The PILs demand that the entire settlement of Sirigao including 17 temples be excluded from the 3 mining blocks, and that no mining should be allowed to restart until the village environmental concerns are addressed.
