The Goa Mining Peoples Front(GMPF) on Monday demanded immediate resumption of full-scale iron ore mining activities to protect the livelihood of people after dwindling footfalls due to the coronavirus outbreak.The mining activities in the state had come to a halt two years back on March 15, 2018, after Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases.GMPF President Puti Gaonkar said that two years of mining stoppage has damaged the states social fabric to a great extent.Among the two major job providing sectors, mining has been stopped since last two years resulting into three lakh livelihood losses in the state and another is tourism, he said."With the Covid-19 outbreak across the world, tourism in Goa has also dropped to a great extent and the tourist footfalls are likely to dwindle down further to a trickle," Gaonkar added.He said that the government cannot neglect the issues related to mining and tourism as 'it may cost peoples future."In the current scenario, resumption of mining activities is the only quantifiable solution which can save the economic condition of Goans along with the state," he added.Gaonkar said that the mining dependents are in the serious financial crunch with no concrete solution for the resumption of Goa mining.The recent Supreme court order to allow royalty paid Iron Ore to be transported in the state will only provide solace for a short while, its therefore imperative that full- scale mining activities resume in the State to protect the livelihood of people in the State, he said.Gaonkar said that the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has assured GMPF that he has taken up the matter and the solution is at the doors, however, the solace is not in getting assurances or allocating the leases, but getting the mining actually started at the ground.
