Postcards from the pit

Where is industry in Goa? I have two trucks and have beentransporting extracted ore for the past 35 years. I had never imagined that onone single day my whole world would turn around like this. What is there inGoa? Where is the industry? Even agriculture does not pay. That is why we went intothis business. If all this was illegal, why did the government allow it? Whydid it allow so many trucks to be purchased? Nobody has come here to see ourplight, the NGOs, the government, nobody. While the mines gave us livelihood,one man called Shah came to check on us. I have five families to support andnothing to earn. What will I do? If I am asked to kill for Rs 10,000 I will doexactly that. I either kill myself or kill for money.

Chandrakant Naik, Truck Garage Owner, Rivona

Arrest those who have done it, don’t choke us: I worked inthe mines since 1971. When I retired, I used all my pension funds to start thisworkshop. My son and I spend our days and nights here running the engines ofthese trucks. Ever since the Shah Report has come, we small people are beingchoked. The trucks have not been coming in for a long time as the owners haveno money. Our business relies only on the truckers at these mines. Overextraction was a mistake even we say but then it was not we who did it. Why arewe being punished for other people’s faults? These people are talking about Rs35000 crore worth of illegal mining, but it wasn’t we who did it. Why didn’tthe government monitor it? And even if they have done it, why are these peoplenot being arrested?

Robberies have started: Soon this place will have suchincidents as people being robbed, people resorting to violence, murder andloot. The worse is yet to come.

NGO’s talk rubbish: These NGOs talk about our lands gettingdestroyed sitting in the villages. I dare them to prove it out here. I havegrown up on this land and also cultivate my land here. Where is the so calledecological degradation here? Last week, two bike riders wearing helmets robbeda woman laden with jewellery.

Vishwanath Narvekar, Truck Driver / Owner, Sanguem

Why do I have to die to make an outsider happy? I have beenliving here since birth and some outsider comes from Mangalore and tells methat the business that is happening around my place is illegal all these years.Why do I have to die for the sake of making someone who does not even live herehappy? When the issue of mines closing came up a decade ago during a hearing inthe Collector’s office in Margao, all these NGO’s shouted us down. Why?Because, we don’t live in their towns and are not part of their groups?

I have been in the mine trucking business for 27 years. Iused to drive other people’s trucks and then then bought one of my own. Likeothers, even I searched around for other jobs outside mining in the beginning.I could not do farming as I had no land. I have a big family - wife, twochildren aged four and two years, mother. My brother who has a master’s degreein commerce and married does not have a job. All of us depend on my singletipper. What option do I have? Suicide?

Ramakant Gaokar, Sarpanch, Dabal / Truck Owner

25 tippers. Bought ten last year: I have 25 tippers boughtover the past 20 years, of which 10 were bought last year itself. Mind you, allthese are not mine but I have taken it in my name for others too. But all mycalculations have gone wrong. It is scary, I thought that the industry wasgrowing and never imagined that it will suddenly shut down like this. Mininghas and will always be the backbone of Goa’s economy, whatever these people whoclaim to be protectors of Goa’s interest say. Don’t they see the suffering theyhave caused? Related businesses like garages, spare parts shops, even Chinesefood stalls that was so busy in the evenings, have shut down. Everybody issuffering. Last year, traffic congestion resulted in the drop of our per tripincome from Rs. 90,000 to Rs. 60,000. There was never a ban during monsoons.Even that happened this year. Our miseries have been compounded  now and people tell us that this is for ourbetterment? What will we earn? Who will pay our loans? What happens after theloans are paid?

Prashant Gawde, Garage / Restaurant Owner

Things will get out of control: We are getting increasinglyannoyed and if this continues then believe me, mob mentality will take over. Weopposed the setting up of a hazardous waste plant at Opa that would havepoisoned Panjim’s water and these people sitting there abuse us. In the towns,you have killed the landscape, eaten up open spaces and created concretejungles. Yet, you tell us that we are not taking care of our land. Things willget very serious and will get out of control.

My garage and hotel supports six families. The hotel hasbeen shut for the past five months, first due to the monsoons and now, thisindefinite closure. I run this garage with my brother but there is not enoughfor even keeping the operations running. Even though I stay near the NationalHighway, it is mining trucks that run my business. But with this sudden closureof mining and repeated attacks on the business by environmentalists, we don’tknow who to believe, our government that tells us through MLAs that things willbe alright, or the media that keeps on telling everyone so happily that Goa isbeing saved from mining.

Surya Naik, Truck Owner, Rivona

We receive letters after letters from banks: I have 18 trucks of which I bought 5 just last year. All these trucks have been purchased over the past five years. Earlier we could get more than two trips a day and as a result be able to pay the EMIs on time. Then, with so many trucks, each truck would not get more than one trip a day. Now there are no trips. I have to pay between Rs 25000 to Rs 30000 on EMIs alone per truck that comes to Rs 5 lakhs a month in EMIs alone. I had planned for dull season but never imagined that business will just not happen. I have not paid EMIs for the past several months and I keep on receiving letter after letter from the bank. What should I reply? If mining does not start, I will kill myself. There is no other choice.