the goan I network
PONDA
The Goa Mining People’s Front (GMPF) on Wednesday decided to request Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court to seek changes in the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act.
Speaking to reporters after the GMPF office bearers convened a meeting, GMPF Convenor Puti Gaonkar demanded that a senior counsel be appointed to fight the case in the apex court.
“The State government should file an affidavit in the supreme court seeking amendment to the Goa, Daman and Diu Mining Leases (Abolition of Mining Concessions and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act 1987, make it applicable w.e.f. 23-05-1987 i.e. the day it was enacted, instead of retrospective effect from 20-12-1961, so as to
enable the current mining leases to remain operational
till 2037.”
“If the state and central governments have no problem to make it ‘prospective’, then mining will start immediately as court had already held the request of same in 1998. The courts have agreed to make the act prospective,” said Gaonkar.
According to Gaonkar, the Supreme Court was to have heard an appeal in the mining issue on April 15, but it could not come up before the respective bench and it may be listed this week.
“Once we get the date for the hearing, we will meet the chief minister and request him to file an affidavit,” said Gaonkar.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant had earlier told media persons that his government would fil a reply in the apex court in connection with resumption of mining activities in the State.
The union mines ministry had filed an interlocutory application on a batch of matters related to
Goa, Daman and Diu
(Abolition and Declaration of Mining Lease) Act, 1987
(Abolition Act).
