PM says he will look into Goa mining tangle, but sets no timeline

CRUCIAL 10-MINUTE
MEETING IN DELHI
>> Shripad Naik conveys the magnitude of economic distress caused in Goa due to mining ban
>> Narendra Sawaikar narrates the background of mining impasse and pending litigation in SC
>> Modi expresses concern over the economic impact, assures solution within legal parameters
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ALL EYES ON
SHAH'S VISIT
>> BJP National president Amit Shah will be visiting Goa this weekend
>> Shah is expected to throw light on what the ace up govt's sleeve is
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PANAJI: Nearly a year after operations in the mining sector were brought to a standstill by the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time met a delegation from Goa comprising the three MPs and representatives of the Goa Mining People's Front (GMPF) at the PMO and assured a solution within existing legal parameters.
"I will look into it," is how Modi addressed the delegation after a nearly 10-minute discussion on the imbroglio during which GMPF leader Puti Gaonkar and Union AYUSH minister Shripad Naik conveyed to him the magnitude of the economic distress caused in Goa due to stoppage of the industry. South Goa MP, Narendra Sawaikar, also narrated to the Prime Minister the background of Goa's mining impasse and also gave him a lowdown on a pending litigation in the Supreme Court, which is adjudicating matters related to the validity and tenures of some mining leases.
Sawaiker meanwhile said, Modi has assured the delegation that the Central government "will try" to resolve Goa's mining impasse within the existing legal parameters.
Sawaikar however did not say how soon this solution could be expected.
No timeline has been set at the meeting for the Centre to find a solution, he said. The apex court also directed the state government to re-issue mining leases which will be now governed by the Modi government-amended MMDR Act mandating auctioning of leases. BJP National president Amit Shah's Goa visit this weekend, meanwhile, is expected to throw light and give some clarity on what the ace up the Modi government's sleeve to resolve the impasse is. If there is one, that is.
During the 10-minute meeting Modi expressed concern over the economic impact after mining came to a halt following the Supreme Court order which declared the renewal of the nearly 88 leases illegal.
Sawaikar, who is also the BJP's Goa unit spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister said a solution will be found within the four corners of the law, since the situation has arisen out of the apex court's judgement," he said.
Besides Naik and Sawaikar, others who were part of the delegation were Goa's Rajya Sabha member and BJP's state unit president, Vinay Tendulkar, Goa Speaker Pramod Sawant, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and the two MLAs of Sanguem and Sanvordem, Prasad Gaonkar and Deepak Pauskar.
The GMPF has been agitating for months for resumption of mining and in recent weeks had raised the bar by marching to the residences of the MPs to pressure them for a tete-a-tete with the Prime Minister so as to press for a solution.
Goa's mining belt is crucial to BJP's fortunes in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections as it forms the core of its support base.
Recently, Power Minister Nilesh Cabral who also represents the Curchorem assembly segment which is the epicentre of the mining belt in South Goa has gone on record to say that the polls would be a uphill battle for the BJP if the mining imbroglio goes unresolved.
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