Lighting of the lamp by Chief Guest Ramawatar Meena, Ramesh Walikar, Convener – Mines Safety & Productivity Council and Director of Mines Safety, Goa Region ; Aftab Ahmad Director of Mines Safety - Mining, West Zone, Nagpur; P K Jain, Director of Mines
With Goa’s mining industry witnessing a gradual revival after remaining shut for over a decade, the Mines Safety & Productivity Council of Goa, Sindhudurg and Kolhapur has stressed that the reopening of mining operations comes with a renewed responsibility to rebuild the sector on the foundations of safety, sustainability and modernisation.
The message was delivered during the concluding ceremony of the 42nd Mine Safety Week organised in Goa by Fomento Resources.
Addressing the gathering, Vice-President of the Council Dheeraj Kumar Jagdish highlighted the importance of adopting a strong safety culture and sustainable mining practices as the sector resumes operations across the State.
“Mining sector of Goa, Sindhudurg and Kolhapur occupies a unique place in the country. Though we faced stoppage of mining operations during the last decade, now we have started again,” he said.
Jagdish said the revival of the mining industry must go hand-in-hand with strict adherence to safety regulations, statutory compliances and the adoption of modern technologies and digitisation.
“Reopening of the mines has brought us renewed responsibility to rebuild operations on a strong safety culture, to ensure adherence to regulations and statutory compliances, to modernise operations through technology and digitisation, and to demonstrate to citizens that mining in Goa can be safe, sustainable and socially responsible,” he added.
Mining activities in Goa had come to a standstill following the Supreme Court-led crackdown and the Central government’s 2012 ban, triggering severe economic distress for mining-dependent businesses and thousands of families linked to the sector.
Now, after nearly 13 years, the industry is gradually reviving with 17 mining blocks auctioned and seven being operationalised in phases since 2024, while several others are in the process of securing statutory permissions.
Officials said Goa has not recorded a single mining-related accident in the last one year, which was described as a positive sign as operations restart after the prolonged halt. A Mine Safety Report was also released during the event.
Director General of Mines Safety (DGMS) Ujjwal Tah stressed that the key objectives for the mining sector should be achieving “Zero Harm” and promoting “Green Mining”.
He noted that mining operations in Goa date back several decades and have contributed immensely to the State’s economy and the country’s GDP. At the same time, he cautioned that mining remains a hazardous industry vulnerable to accidents if safety systems are not rigorously followed.
Tah also urged mine owners to focus on reducing dependency on blasting and explosives by embracing safer and modern technologies aimed at minimising risks to workers and the environment.
