Panaji, Mar 18 (TOI): A day after mining operations came to a halt in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday held a brainstorming session to discuss various solutions to the issue. During the meeting, one BJP legislator suggested that the government should form a corporation to operate the mines in the state.
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar had earlier denied the possibility of forming any government corporation to run the mines.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari will be arriving in Goa on March 20 to listen to the grievances of mining stakeholders.
BJP organising secretary B L Santhosh chaired the meeting, which was attended by 12 MLAs and BJP officer bearers. BJP also held a core committee meeting.
Speaker Pramod Sawant, who is one of the legislators in the mining belt, told TOI that the sentiment of the MLAs on the issue would be conveyed to the Centre though Santhosh.
During the meeting, BJP MLAs put forward various options, including promulgating an ordinance to continue with mining activities until the leases are auctioned.
The legislators suggested that the Union government could bring out an ordinance to the Goa Daman and Diu Mining Concession (Abolition and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, 1987 so that the mining leases continue to operate.
The legislators also said that the central government should come out with an ordinance to the Mines and Mineral Development and Regulation (Amendment) (MMDR) Act, 2015 to continue mining operations.
Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral told mediapersons, “We are not against the auctioning of mines. We have to see how to continue mining until the auctioning process is undertaken.”
Cabral also said that he explained to the organising secretary how people will suffer if mining does not continue. Even those who havn’t cleared SSC are earning salaries of Rs 30,000 in the sector, he said.
“We all have to work out a solution to restart mining activities in the state,” Cabral said. “At the meeting, one of our legislators proposed forming a corporation. But government will not go ahead with this proposal. Even the central government is undertaking disinvestments in corporations. We have to come out with practical solution. All these issues will be discussed when Union minister Nitin Gadkari will be in the state,” he added.