PANAJI
The Supreme Court of India, on Tuesday, is expected to hear a petition filed by Vedanta Ltd, seeking restoration of Goa’s mining leases cancelled by the Supreme Court in 2018.
In an application before the Mines Department, Vedanta had requested the State government to amend their mining lease retrospectively and extend the period from 1987 to 2037 ie. for a period of 50 years which they said was permissible under terms of Section 8(A)(3) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act).
Under that provision of the MMDR Act all mining leases granted before the commencement of the 2015 amendment “shall be deemed to have been granted for a period of fifty years.”
Vedanta Ltd, has approached the Supreme Court challenging a decision of the Goa Government to decline its request to ‘renew’ its leases until 2037. The Goa government claimed that it couldn’t act on Vedanta’s application owing to the specific prohibition on renewing the mining leases and a specific direction to grant fresh ones.
Along with Vedanta’s plea several village panchayats are also seeking a hearing before the Court claiming that the mining closure was severely affecting their livelihood and sustenance.
The last hearing in the case was held on March 17 and the matter was set to be listed on April 7. But the matter did not come up for hearing due to the spike in Covid cases.
The representatives of the village panchayats from affected villages due to Mining stoppage, claim that the Goa Mining industry has been consistently misrepresented in various government departments and the judiciary.
These representatives earlier filed a representation to the SC demanding a solution to the grave situation witnessed by people of Goa since past 40 months. They further explained that immediate resumption of mining is the only tangible solution to the devastating effects of Goa Mining Stoppage disrupting over 3 lakh livelihoods followed by the hard hitting impacts due to Covid pandemic on Tourism sector which further added to the sufferings of Goans.
The mining stalemate in Goa has completed its third year due to the policy paralysis, with no concrete solution in the site for the stalemate and there is an utter need to immediately resume mining in the state to mete out the disparity prevailed due to the policy misinterpretation & Legal flaws.
According to a report submitted by State’s Tourism Ministry in December 2020, Goa tourism has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 7000 crore with recorded job losses in the range of 35%.
With the second wave of pandemic, the entire structure of the State’s economy and livelihood of the people has fallen apart.
Considering the situation as grave in the State, immediate resumption of mining will help in bringing back the State on track.
In February 2018, the Supreme Court had quashed the second renewal of 88 mining leases, bringing the mining industry in the state to a halt.
