Panaji: With only few days remaining for Lok Sabha elections in Goa, a union of mining dependents has appealed people affected with the closure of the industry to “vote as per your conscience.”
Goa Mining People’s Front (GMPF), an umbrella organization of people who are left jobless after closure of mining industry, has said that the voters should first review the incidents that happened after stopping of the industry, before deciding their vote.
Goa’s both the Lok Sabha Constituencies and three Assembly constituencies will go for voting on April 23.
GMPF President Puti Gaonkar said that the union has not been supporting any political party. “We are not asking the people whom to vote or whom not to. Let them decide as per their conscience,” he said.
“But while doing that, they should also consider the events that happened after closure of mining industry in March last year. They should vote as per their wisdom,” he said.
In past, GMPF had expressed their anguish against failure of BJP MPs to address their issue. The union has been demanding that Central government should pass an amendment to existing mining law to resume the industry.
Supreme Court in March last year had quashed 88 mining leases bringing to halt entire industry, affecting around two lakh people dependent on it.
