MAPUSA
Hitting out at the Congress, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said if the then Congress CM had renewed mining leases in 2007 then the State would not have to go through such a misery.
“I am not bothered about the criticism. My work is to start mining at the earliest. The Congress CM is responsible for the mining imbroglio today. If the mining leases were renewed in 2007 then the State wouldn’t have suffered today,” Sawant said, while responding to the Congress criticism against the BJP-led government for trying to fool the mining dependents.
“When leases expired in 2006, the mining companies had asked for renewal. If it was done then the leases could go on till 2027. If they (Congress) had done so then today the state would not have suffered,” he said.
He said the mining dependents have suffered a lot for the last several years due to the ban on mining and the priority of his government was to resume mining.
“The way I have attempted to resume mining, nobody has. I have worked sincerely and will continue to do so,” he said.
