PANAJI
The Goa chapter of the Mining Engineers’ Association of India (MEAI) has raised concern over the increasing joblessness among professionals in Goa's mining sector and also the new job opportunities lost due to delay in the resumption of operations in the sector which has been shut since March 2018.
Pointing out that the international demand for iron ore has spiked, the MEAI has appealed for early resumption of mining operations in Goa which it said will cushion the overall unemployment crisis Goa is staring at.
The Pramod Sawant-led government is hoping to partially resume operations in the mining sector through the Goa State Mining Corporation it has proposed to set up through legislation it passed in the July monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly.
Sawant has set a December deadline for the resumption of mining operations through the Corporation and to overcome the legal hurdles posed by the Supreme Court judgement of March 2018 which quashed 88 operational mining leases citing irregularities in their renewal procedures.
MEAI claimed Goa's mining sector was estimated to be the largest employment generating sector and supported the livelihoods of nearly 20 per cent of the State's population.
It pointed out that professionals in the mining sector in Goa have no other tangible source of livelihood, particularly those in their mid-career phase.
According to Cletus D’Souza, Chairman, MEAI (Goa Chapter) resumption of mining is vital for sustaining a stable future for qualified mining professionals and the stalemate in the industry has severely and adversely impacted the State's economic growth, employment rate and overall development parameters.
D'Souza said, resuming mining is an opportunity to make up for the impact on the State's economy due to the hit taken by the State's second most significant economic sector due to the Covid crisis -- tourism.
He said, whatever little mining sector activity is currently on through the e-auctioned ore transport or dump working will not suffice to get back the jobs or create opportunities for technical mining professionals.
Only about 7,000 jobs survive with the current level of activities through e-auctioned ore transportation, which is only 10% of the approximately 75,000 jobs in the sector before the 2018 ban, he said.
"We as a professional body of mining industry are pained by this loss of state revenue and lost employment opportunities. It is very sad that we are witnessing this happen in our careers. It is like there is fresh a water pond in front of us and we are thirsty but we are forbidden to drink the water,” D'Souza said.
Reacting to the formation of the Mining Corporation, D'Souza said, there was a mixed reaction and rued that there is no place for mining professionals in the body.
"Decisions on mining matters right from exploration to operations needs technical expertise and can fail miserably if not tackled in a structured manner. The formation of a new corporation and the exercise of detailed exploration might take at least 2 to 3 years," he added.
"The need to start operating mines is more urgent," he said, adding that there is no clarity on whether the government through the Corporation intends to operate mines by themselves even as there is no clarity in the MMDR Act for State operations in mining.
D'Souza also said that the idea of working on iron ore dumps cannot be an alternative to starting actual mining operations although it has the potential as a complementary and supplementary activity to increase volumes.
