Panaji (Goa) Shiv Sena has said that they share the worry of people who are dependent on mining industry due to the Supreme Court judgment which has asked stoppage of iron ore extraction from March 15 onwards.

This is what sena’s Goa spokesman Rakhi Naik Prabhudesai has said in a press note here:

It is undisputed fact that lakhs of families in Goa are dependent on this activity and are now looking at bleak future. Though chief minister Manohar Parrikar had assured the solution for the problem, the worries have complicated as he has been admitted in the hospital.

The tremendous support received by the truck operators for their protest at Panjim today indicates that the people are frustrated and worried about their future. It was a welcome sign that politicians from all the political parties visited Azad Maidan in their support.

But the real question needs to be asked is whether the politicians are really serious over the issue? If that is the case then they should start acting quickly and seek legal recourse for the matter rather than waiting for last minute.

We pray for speedy recovery of Parrikar but in his absence, at present, the government should continue the process. The chief minister has already charted out the way forward to come out of the current crisis. Now the people in power will have to just do the way he had suggested. And if they can’t do it, then they should step down.

March 15 is the last day for extraction and the date is approaching very fast. The mining companies have already started showing the signs of panic. This will naturally percolate down to the workers, trucks, machinery and all those who are dependent on this industry.

It is said that a stitch in time saves nine. Similarly, a timely action will save the industry from facing the shut down. Merely talking and sympathizing on the floor of the House wont provide you the solution.