Panaji:
Mining came to a standstill for the second time in less than a decade, on Thursday, even as the state government initiated the process to auction mining leases and began preparations to approach the
Supreme Court to allow mining operations to continue till auctioning is complete.
Late Thursday evening, chief minister Manohar Parrikar gave his nod to the cabinet advisory committee’s (CAC) Wednesday decision to file the petition.
“The auction process has started, but as it may take six months, a year or one and a half years to complete, we will file an appeal in the apex court to continue mining,” CAC member and PWD minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar told TOI.
On Wednesday, the CAC members—Dhavalikar, TCP minister Vijai Sardesai and urban development minister Francis D’Souza—resolved to approach the apex court to allow resumption of mining activities, for at least some months, considering that the industry is the backbone of Goa’s economy, till alternative arrangements are made.
On February 7 the Supreme Court quashed the renewal of 88 leases, stopping mining activities in the state from March 16. In 2012, mining was banned in the state after the Shah Commission exposed illegalities in the sector.
Director of mines Prassana Acharya told TOI that while “no iron
ore can be transported from within leases from Friday” ore dumped outside leases can be exported. The mines department has issued separate instructions to Goa police and leaseholders to ensure that mining operations are brought to a standstill by midnight of Thursday, as per the SC order.
Around 11 million tonnes of iron ore has been mined till date as against the apex court extraction cap of 20 million tonnes per annum.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari will arrive in Goa on Tuesday to gauge the impact of mining closure in the state, Dhavalikar said, adding that Gadkari will listen to the grievances of mining belt MLAs, mining dependents and banks.
There has been a flurry of activity in the last five days as BJP came under pressure from its own MLAs from the mining belt besides mining dependents to find a solution to the mining imbroglio. Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral was very critical that the state government had not acted in time to approach the central government or move the apex court for necessary relief.
A day after the Supreme Court judgment, Parrikar had said that the state government would not file a review petition and instead “explore all possible options, including the auction of mine leases”.
Advocate general of Goa Dattaprasad Lawande, whose legal opinion Parrikar sought, said the state has “no other option other than the auction route” and that “it will be a completely useless exercise to make any attempt to file a curative or review petition before the Supreme Court”.
“Since the ore bodies from mines shall be exposed, there is likelihood that such ore may be subject to theft after March 16 until proper security arrangements are put in place,” the directorate of mines said in its communication to Goa police and leaseholders, requesting them to continue security arrangements at the leases at least till March 31 or till “such arrangements are put in place by the state government”.
The mines department has asked Goa police to depute officials or conduct regular inspections, site visits, etc, at the leasehold areas from March 16, so that no theft of ore either lying within the leasehold area or in the mining pits is subjected to theft, which is the property of the state government.
