Sankhalim (Goa)
Two days after the mining has come to standstill, there is an uncanny silence in the iron ore rich mining belts across the State, which is going through second such blow in last six years.
The trucks are lined up along the road while mining machinery is meticulously parked near the entrance of each mining lease. The usual activity of trucks rolling in and out of the mining gate has stopped.
Supreme Court in its judgment dated February 7 had quashed 88 mining leases questioning Goa government’s action of renewing them. The Apex court had suggested that the leases should be auctioned and had asked stoppage of fresh extraction of ore from March 15 mid night onwards.
In Honda village, the discussion in the main market revolves around the fate of mining industry, which has seen similar kind of situation in the year 2012.
“This is more serious than the last time. People had a hope that the mining has resumed and hence they had invested in repairing their truck which was loaned to them by the banks. Now the problem has multiplied,” said Shivdas Madkar, a truck owner who is amongst the several hundred people in this belt who eked out their living on mining business.
The areas of Velguem, Pali, Sonshi, Honda upto Pissurlem in Bicholim and Sattari talukas were once upon a time were farmlands where paddy fields were the main source of income. “There was little mining happening around here since 60s. But the China boom fuelled the demand of ore and entire situation changed here. Every alternate house has now become dependent on mining activity,” says Suryakant Gawas, a school teacher, who feels that it was his wise decision to chose teaching as a profession over the lucrative job offer in a mining company.
“I was offered handsome salary by a mining firm which took over our fields. That was the compensation that they wanted to pay me in the form of employment. But I decided to teach; and I am happy that I didn’t fell for the mind blowing salary of the mining company,” he said.
Gawas’ next door neighbours are mining dependents, who are now going to be a part of the crowd that is ready to show their strength in Panaji on Monday to “impress upon the State and Central government to resume the mining.”
Sandip Pawaskar, Sarpanch of Sanvordem village, which represents the mining hotbed, feels that there would be adverse impact on the economic activity in the State after the closure of the mining industry.
“People will now leave on shoe string budget. They will have no money to buy anything. That will impact the markets in the mining belt and that will have overall impact on the economy of the State,” he said.
BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral, representing Curchorem constituency which also has a heavy concentration of the mining leases, claimed that the people are in a pitiable condition.
“Whether auctioning or formation of corporation or any other mode, the mining should resume immediately. The current ban will have far reaching impact on the people who are dependent on this activity,” he said.
This is second big blow to the industry, which had faced closure in the year 2012 following SC’s directives. The apex court had taken cognizance of the M B Shah commission report which had claimed that there was illegal mining worth Rs 35,000 crore in the State between the year 2005-2012.
The industry remained banned for nearly 19 months from October 2012 to April 2014 when the SC finally allowed the industry to operate imposing several riders. The restriction of extracting only 20 million metric tonnes was also imposed on the industry, which had double the capacity to tap the ore before SC ban on it in the year 2012.
After SC ban, it took another 18 months for the industry to actually start the extraction as the first fresh extraction took place in October 2015. The industry could not come to its full glory after resumption as during the fiscal 2015-16, hardly 7.2 million metric tonnes of the ore being extracted.
The figures available from the Department of Mines and Geology indicates that 37.11 million metric tonnes of ore was extracted from the time ban was lifted till date bringing in revenue of Rs 1,243.54 crore.
