PANAJI

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday appealed to the Congress high command, as well as to the opposition party leaders in Goa to back an amendment to a central act, which will help restart mining in Goa, which has been banned since February this year.

“We can go for a request provided everyone supports and the Congress in Delhi supports. After that I will go to Delhi and talk to the person concerned,” the Chief Minister said while replying to a debate on the mining issue.

Parrikar said that the state government would request the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre to amend the Goa, Daman and Diu (Abolition of Concession and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, 1987, passed by Parliament to bypass the Supreme Court’s order and extend the validity of Goa’s mining leases.

“It is the only lasting solution,” Parrikar said.

The Chief Minister also said that both, ruling and opposition parties, should come together to amend the central legislation “in the interest of Goa and Goans”.

The mining issue has been hanging fire in Goa every since the apex court banned extraction and transportation of iron ore from 88 mining leases from March while also directing the state to re-issue mining leases.

This is second time in less than a decade that all mining activity in the state has come to a standstill.