Goa mining can restart within six months, says CM Pramod Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said the beleaguered mining industry in the state may restart in six months.

This comes a day after top ore-exporters from Goa along with Sawant and the state government's mines department officials met Union minister Prahlad Joshi in the national capital.

Sawant said that bureaucrats from the Goa government's Mines and Geology department and central mines ministry are daily corresponding to find a resolution to the crisis in the industry in Goa.

"Taking into account all related factors, I can say that Goa's mines would be in a position to resume operations within six months," Sawant told reporters here.

He also said that "quick resumption" of the mining sector in Goa was a priority for the state and central governments.

The announcement comes at a time when the state is heading for polls to two Zilla panchayats and 11 municipal councils. Similar announcements have been made on the eve of 2017 state Assembly elections and 2019 Lok Sabha polls by successive governments.

On Thursday, Sawant had led a team of top bureaucrats as well as representatives of the Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association to meet Joshi in order to seek a solution to the mines sector issues.

"We had a meeting of stakeholders in a bid to restart mining in Goa. Our clear-cut intent is to start mining. Prahlad Joshi also told us that the central government would also aid Goa in restarting the sector. Whether mining is restarted by way of auctioning or not, is also being examined," Sawant said.

The mining issue has been hanging fire in Goa ever since the apex court in 2018, citing irregularities in the processes adopted by the state government to renew 88 mining leases, scrapped the leases rendering them invalid.

As a result of the order, all fresh ore extraction activity has stopped, bringing the industry to a standstill— the second time in less than a decade.

Mining was banned the first time in 2012 after a judicial commission exposed a Rs 35,000-crore illegal mining scam, indicting top mining companies as well as politicians and bureaucrats.