THE DELHI DATE
>> Shah met with a delegation of GMPF led by Puti Gaonkar
OTHERS PRESENT
>> Union Ayush Minister Shripad Naik
>> South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar
>> Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar
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WHAT WORRIES SHAH
>> The issue of 'livelihood' faced by lakhs of Goans due to stoppage of mining activities
>> Data about the loss of jobs, idle trucks and barges and bank NPAs
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Shah has assured all of us, especially the mining dependents, that the Central government is nearing a conclusion and will come out with a mechanism for a solution to the mining impasse--------------------------------
- Narendra Sawaikar
PANAJI: An audience finally granted on Sunday by BJP president Amit Shah to members of the Goa Mining People's Front (GMPF) and the three BJP parliamentarians from Goa has rekindled hopes of early resumption of the industry.
Shah met with a delegation of GMPF led by Puti Gaonkar, along with Union Ayush Minister Shripad Naik, South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar and Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Tendulkar in Delhi on Sunday and is said to have assured that the Centre will work out a solution soon.
GMPF quoted Shah as saying during the meeting: "Solution to the present mining impasse shall be brought about soon by the Central government."
In a statement issued after the meeting, Gaonkar said, Shah acknowledged the issue of "livelihood" faced by lakhs of Goans due to stoppage of mining activities.
"He (Shah) mentioned that the data about the loss of jobs, idle trucks and barges and bank NPAs is worrying," the GMPF statement said.
Mining has come to a grinding halt in Goa since March last year after the Supreme Court cancelled 88 mining leases in an order issued in February. The Apex Court in the order had also directed the Goa government to begin the process of granting new mining leases under the MMDR Act, which mandates issuing of mining leases through public auction.
The Goa government, however, is pinning its hopes on a plan which involves the Centre tweaking MMDR Act and/or the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act or the Goa, Daman and Diu (Abolition of Concession and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, 1987, to side-step the Supreme Court order.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, before his battle against pancreatic cancer could restrict his free movement, had visited Delhi in August last year and formally requested the Centre in writing for the amendments to the two laws.
The Goa government had argued that amending the 1987 law, which converted the Portuguese era 'Mining Concessions' into 'Mining Leases' under the Indian law, to enhance lease validity to 50 years would by default make leases alive and valid up to 2037 and facilitate resumption of operations in those lease areas.
Shah's reported comment that a solution will be brought about soon to the mining impasse when he met with the GMPF delegation and the Goa MPs on Sunday, has therefore revived hopes in the industry that the Centre could be looking at the Ordinance route to amend the laws, now that the winter session of Parliament, the last working one before the Lok Sabha polls, has ended.
Meanwhile, Savoikar, who was present at the meeting with Shah, claimed that the Central government is considering all legal aspects of the cases and therefore finding a resolution to the imbroglio is getting delayed.
"Shah has assured all of us, especially the mining dependents, that the Central government is nearing a conclusion and will come out with a mechanism for a solution to the mining impasse," Savoikar said.
Interestingly, the audience with Shah on Sunday comes days after GMPF had turned the heat on the three MPs and other ruling coalition politicians by marching to the residences of ministers and MPs and calling out their "failure" to pursue the mining issue with the Centre.
GMPF now said in the statement released after their Sunday meet with Shah that the BJP national president told them that Parrikar and the three Goa MPs were following up with the Central government for a solution.
