The Goa mining fiasco has been a poor advertisement for governance in India, the failure to renew leases after their expiry in 2007 combined with turning a blind eye to environmental violations had culminated in the mining ban between 2012 and 2014. Renewal of 88 mining leases instead of issuing fresh leases coupled with non recovery of amounts due from old lessees for illegal mining led to the Supreme Court cancelling the leases in 2018.
During the mining boom of 2011, the government earned humongous revenues of Rs 950 crore which petered down to Rs 6 crore in 2019, a steep fall for a state mired in debt of @ Rs. 24,000 crores. More than 300, 000 mining dependents have been left out in the cold struggling to make ends meet. Devising and implementing sustainable mining practices and addressing environmental concerns is the first thing to be looked into, hopefully by a new government in Goa.
