Panaji: The representatives of 27 village panchayats from the mining belt in Goa on Thursday met State Governor Satya Pal Malik seeking his intervention in immediate resumption of the Iron Ore mining industry claiming that the closure of the industry has taken toll on “economic and mental health of the people dependent on it.”
Advocate Amey Kakodkar, who accompanied representatives of 27 panchayats to the Governor, said that the closure of mining activity has not only affected the economical health of the state but also it is taking toll on mental well being of the people dependent on it.
He said that 27 panchayats together covers 1.3 lakh population in the mining belt spread across both the districts – North and South Goa.
Kakodkar said that the Governor gave hearing to the grievances of these panchayat bodies, which are also facing financial crisis amidst plummeting revenue collections due to closure of the mining.
The mining industry in the state has come to standstill after Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases in the year 2018.
He said that the banks operating in the mining belt are also suffering as loans have turned into Non Performing Assets (NPAs) with the people dependent on the industry selling out majority of their assets to eke out living.
“The people living in this area have been banking on this activity for their earnings for last three-four generations,” he said.
Kakodkar said that there is serious mental depression issues in the mining belt due to which the instances of domestic violence are on rise.
He said that immediate resumption of the mining is a solution to address the problems. “We have already lost lot of time. If you lose more time, then the situation will go out of hand,” he said.
