The mining industry has been helping the Goan economy for more than 70 years and has been supporting the livelihood of almost 300,000 people.
The Goa chapter of Mining Engineers’ Association of India appeals to the Dr. Pramod Sawant, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa for immediate resurrection of mining in the state. Mining has been banned in Goa for more than 2 years now. The Apex Court of India quashed the mining leases of 88 mines in Goa and ordered stoppage of all mining activities from March 16, 2018.
The mining industry in the state has been helping the Goan economy for more than 70 years and has been supporting the livelihood of almost 300,000 people. The evolution of Goa’s iron ore industry and its manifold impact on the state’s socio-economic milieu has been well publicized in the past. Besides generating direct employment in the industry, it has also developed secondary and tertiary economics of scale, which has persisted beyond the mining locations.
While the Goan economy was already facing severe difficulty due to stoppage of mining operations, the spread of covid-19 pandemic has further added to the miseries. With the other mainstay of the Goan economy, the tourism industry will face severe downturn for at least the next 12-18 months. The same coupled with the likely migration of many migrant labours would also lead to a delay of various Private and as well as Public infrastructure works.
Mr. Cletus D’Souza, Chairman, MEAI (Goa Chapter) said, “At the outset, we would like to thank the Hon’ble Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant for the efforts taken to ameliorate the current situation through Legislative or Judicial route. Mining industry in Goa being largely self-reliant, it is able to resume at the earliest to provide a much-requited relief to the wheels of Goan economy. In the mining operations, the workforce and machinery are sourced from the locals in the state, as such the same appears to be the best solution to aid the state on its path of Economic recovery at the earliest.”.
“In the state with 14,00,000 population more than 60,000 people are directly or indirectly engaged in the mining industry and by a various estimates around 3,00,000 people were dependent on mining and with the complete collapseof the second pillar i.e. tourism in the state, the livelihood situation of people in Goa have become very grim. We therefore request the Chief Minister to kindly intervene and impress upon the authorities at the Centre and in Judiciary the need for immediate resumption of mining operations in the State so that the livelihood of lakhs of Goans be protected.” further added Mr. D’Souza.