PANAJI/VASCO
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday afternoon flew to New Delhi and is slated to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday with the 2M agenda, Mining and Mhadei water.
With the appointment being granted at the last minute, Sawant cancelled all his prior appointments in Goa and left for Delhi.
Sawant is expected to discuss issues such as the Mhadei water dispute and mining with the prime minister. His talks will also focus on the current political and economic conditions prevalent in Goa especially with the State treasury taking a hit during the pandemic. Sawant’s visit to New Delhi comes after a gap of almost six months. Speaking to media before his departure, Sawant stated, “PM has given me an appointment on Wednesday after a wait of almost six months. We will be discussing the political and economic conditions of the state”.
He also said, most importantly, we will be discussing the issue of mining which is before the Supreme Court. “We will try to find a solution to this issue by highlighting this matter before the PM. Our main thrust will be on finding a resolution to Goa’s mining issue”, Sawant said.
Mining is presently considered a key area to boost economy in Goa. While the State has been trying hard to restart mining activity, it has not been successful as yet.
While the mining issue is pending before the court, there are chances that a legislative option by some amendment on the Act can be discussed to resume mining activity. It may be recalled that Sawant had said all options are open to resume mining activity in the State.
Meanwhile, two key meetings with the chief minister scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed because of his trip to New Delhi.
According to sources, a circular has been issued that the first meeting of the steering committee on PPP and the third meeting on Mopa Airport Development Authority have been postponed.
