Amit Shah promises to resume mining in Goa with “double force” after elections

PANAJI, (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday assured that the iron ore mining industry in Goa, which became non-operational nearly four years back, will start functioning with “double force” through a transparent auctioning process after the Assembly elections in the state.

The mining operations, which used to one of the major sources of revenue for Goa, came to a grinding halt in the state in March 2018 after the Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases.

“I am telling you that after the elections, through a transparent auctioning process, Goa’s mining industry will start working with double force,” Shah said while addressing a public rally at Sanvordem assembly constituency, a mining-dominated belt around 70 kms from here, to campaign for BJP candidate and former MLA Ganesh Gaonkar ahead of the February 14 state elections.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and BJP’s state unit president Sadanand Shet Tanavade were also present on the occasion.

Shah said the Centre never made any false promises over the resumption of mining industry in the state.

“The Centre has studied in detail the Supreme Court’s order on mining industry and CM Pramod Sawant had held four meetings with me. Sawant had also met Union minister for mines, Pralhad Joshi along with attorney general and solicitor general and found out a solution,” he said.

The Union government drafted a special mining dump policy, after which the state government completed the process of forming Mineral Corporation in the state, he added.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) had on Saturday released their common manifesto for the upcoming Goa polls, promising resumption of mining operations. In the document, they mentioned that “instituting environmentally sustainable mining practices with 80 per cent reservation for Goans in extraction contracts and mining jobs would be the priority” of their government.

On his arrival in Goa on Saturday afternoon, Shah visited the Sai Baba temple at Borim village before addressing a public meeting in Ponda constituency in South Goa. He later joined the door-to-door campaign in the Sanvordem constituency for Gaonkar. BJP has denied ticket to sitting MLA and controversial PWD Minister Deepak Prabhu Pauskar while fielding Gaonkar.

CM Sawant and Tanavade accompanied Shah during the door-to-door campaign.

“Shah distributed copies of the performance report of the BJP government in Goa to people while canvassing in Sanvordem,” a senior BJP office-bearer said. (PTI)