Goa mining dependents urge Amit Shah to convene GoM meeting

Panaji: People dependent on iron ore mining in Goa on Friday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to convene a meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM), led by him, to discuss the issue of resumption of the industry in the state.

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The GoM, which has been formed to examine the vexed issue of mining in Goa, includes Union Ministers for Finance, Environment, Agriculture, Mining, Commerce and Industries, Petroleum and Law. It is led by Shah.

"The complete closure of mining in Goa since March 2018 has had a devastating effect on the dependents of the industry. This has severely impacted the state's economy and resulted in a heavy drain on the revenues," Puti Gaonkar, president of the Goa Mining People's Front (GMPF), said.

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GMPF is an umbrella organisation of the people rendered jobless following the closure of the key industry.

"A GMPF delegation, under the leadership of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, wants to meet Shah to present our case before him once again...This would help sustain the livelihood of lakhs of people and provide a strong boost to the ailing economy of the state," he added.

The GMPF representatives had met Shah in January this year to discuss the issue.

"A follow-up meeting was supposed to be held by July end. However no such meeting has taken place so far. Hence, we request the home minister to kindly convene a meeting of the GoM on the mining issue at the earliest," he said.

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The mining industry in Goa has come to standstill since March 2018 after the Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases.