Porvorim: State Legislative Assembly today unanimously passed a resolution urging Union government to amend Goa, Daman and Diu Mining Concessions (Abolition and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, 1987 so that the iron ore industry in the State resumes.
The industry has been shut down since March 16, 2018 after Supreme Court has quashed 88 mining leases in the State. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar speaking on the resolution told the House that he would be meeting Group of Ministers in Delhi on August 6 during which he would put forth the demand to amend the act.
The private member resolution which was moved on the floor of the House by BJP legislator Nilesh Cabral said that Government of Goa shall urge the Central Government to take appropriate steps to suitably amend the Goa, Daman and Diu Mining Concessions (Abolition and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, 1987 and make it applicable prospectively with effect from May 23, 1987 that is the day it was enacted, instead of retrospective effect from December 20, 1961, so as to enable the current mining leases to remain operational upto the year 2037 and continue to aid the economic growth of the State of Goa and its people and also resolves to urge the
The resolution also read “Central Government should amend the MMDR Act, 1957 suitably in such a way as to give the benefit of the 50 year tenures introduced retrospectively in 2015 by way of Section 8A(3), to the mining concessions in Goa, which though were converted into mining leases only in the year 1987, were given a fictional date of grant of 1961 so as to allow collection of dead rent and royalty for the past by the Government of India.”
Talking on the resolution, the chief minister said that he has sought appointment of Group of Ministers formed by Prime Minister on August 7 during his visit to Delhi. “I will explain to them the entire issue right from what was Goa’s mining issue to what is the economic implications,” he said.
Parrikar assured the House that he would his best to convince the Central government to make amendment to the act so that the mining industry resumes in the State.
The chief minister said that the issue of mining industry will get a proper direction by September-October this year.
Referring to the stoppage of mining in the year 2012, Parrikar said that he had then stopped the industry so that it should be regularized and save it from the illegality, but later the ban was imposed by the Supreme Court which was lifted in the year 2015.
The chief minister said that there is no possibility of illegality in mining industry in the current situation when international prices for ore has been reduced compared to those in the year 2012.
“I am still opposing to the illegality. What I had said earlier, I still stand by it,” he said.
The chief minister said that State government would have taken the issue of mining with the central government on its own without moving Private Members’ Resolution on the floor of the House.
“There is no need for the government to move resolution. Government can take up the issue with the central government but today I wanted to get sense of the House on the issue,” he said.
