An eerie silence has descended on the villages in the iron ore-rich belt in Goa with the implementation of the Supreme Court order on closure of mines, which were abuzz with activities till three days back.
The mining trucks, which used to criss-cross the region kicking up dust as they moved, are now parked along the roads, while the machinery is lying untouched near the entrance of the mining leases. The picture is now more or less same in every mining village.
In the main market areas in these villages and towns, worried faces are now seen discussing the fate of the mining industry.
The five-decade-old mining industry in the state came to a grinding halt from Friday with the Supreme Court order of a ban on iron ore extraction.
The apex court had last month quashed the second renewal of iron ore mining leases given to 88 companies in Goa in 2015. It had set March 15 deadline for the miners to manage their affairs.
"This is going to be a major economic disaster as it will impact the lives of around three lakh people in North Goa alone. It is a question of life and death for those dependent on the industry," Vishnu Rama Naik, former MLA of Sankhalim, said.
Shivdas Madkar, a truck owner who is among the several hundred people in this belt who are solely dependent on the industry for livelihood, said, "This is more serious than last time (2012). People had a hope that mining has resumed and hence they got their trucks repaired with the money taken on loan from the banks. Now the problems have grown."
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