PANAJI
With the government grappling with how to solve the mining impasse, the Goa Foundation has written to the Chief Secretary offering a “way out” which it claims is a win-win situation for everybody.
In a letter to the Chief Secretary, the Goa Foundation has suggested that since the first priority of the state government and everybody concerned is employment, “trucks and barges can be utilized for desilting fields and rivers, using dumps to close mines that will never reopen (in eco-sensitive areas, for example, or abandoned).
“Aquifers should also be repaired on a war-footing. This would create jobs, restore the environment and free up large tracts of land for agriculture and other uses,” Goa Foundation’s director Claude Alvares has said.
The Goa Foundation has also suggested the sale of dumps.
“A significant portion of the so-called waste and low-grade dumps are reportedly saleable. Dump mining requires leases and ECs. It should be the first priority for any mining by the government. Dump mining reduces an environment problem, is superior to fresh mining which destroys the natural environment. Fresh mining should be considered only after all the existing dumps & stacks are cleared,” the Goa Foundation has said.
Among other suggestions, the Goa Foundation has suggested public sector mining with “through a PSU (Goa State Mineral Development Corporation) as that is the only way to ensure zero
loss in the present legal framework.”
“Several states including Gujarat have issued orders reserving extraction of minerals for their own public sector bodies,” Alvares recalled.
The Goa Foundation has said that the Goa Government is faced with a unique opportunity “to redesign the entire mining system for the coming decades in a people-centric manner.” This opportunity should not be lost, Alvares said.
The Goa Foundation has also suggested implementing the proposal to divert NH17 through Dharbandora as “it will create jobs during construction and thereafter” and the utilization of the District Mineral Fund (of Rs 180 crore) for the mining affected people and areas in a participatory budgeting process.
“We believe this proposal is fair to all concerned and will be welcomed by all sections of Goan society. Employment is created immediately. The environment is repaired to some extent. Productive resources “ land, water, fields, rivers “ are made available through the removal of dumps. Our mineral wealth is held constant for all Goans to enjoy,” Alvares concluded.
‘Any attempt to
circumvent SC will
be met with failure’
PANAJI: Any attempt to circumvent the judgement of the Supreme Court will be met with failure, the Goa Foundation has warned.
“Proposals being made by the Cabinet Advisory Committee for the issue of an ordinance are intended to return mining leases to private lease holders. The move will not survive judicial scrutiny. It will further delay the restart of mining activity,” Goa Foundation’s Claude Alvares said.
