GOAMAP drafts manifesto to rescue State from ills of mining

Times of India, April 17, 2009, Panaji

The document demands the creation of a special fund from the confiscated wealth of mining companies to restore settlements in areas where mining leases have been terminated.

The abolition of private ownership in Goa’s mining sector and confiscation of wealth accumulated by mining companies over the past 50 years is one the demands made in a proposed manifesto by a citizens’ initiative in the state recently.

Known as the Goa Federation of Mines Affected People (GOAMAP), the citizens’ initiative has proposed the manifesto to political parties and the public to debate and rescue Goa from the ills of mining.

The manifesto demands the creation of a special fund from the confiscated wealth of mining companies to restore settlements in areas where mining leases have been terminated. The fund must also rehabilitate mining workers after the closure of the mines in greater interest of Goa, its water and its future generations, document states.

The manifesto demands the withdrawal of all police cases against those opposing the mining industry in Goa as well as a comprehensive ecological auditing of mining industry in Goa for its performance over the past 50 years.

Another demand on the manifesto is a comprehensive review of all mining leases in Goa. One-fourth of the State is bound by leases that were granted by the Portuguese colonial regime from 1929 to 1959. Since the population of Goa has trebled after that, a complete feasibility on mining in Goa must be undertaken immediately, the manifesto states.

The manifesto also demands a shutdown of mining in Goa in a planned manner beginning with eco-sensitive zones like forests, agriculture, horticulture, people’s habitat, lakes, springs and other water bodies.

It also demands the termination of mining leases where people protest its ill effects, such as Advalpal, Colamb, Rivona, Shirgao, Morpilla, Khola, Cudnem, Pali, Bicholim, Sattari, Surla, Mayem, Cavrem, Sulcorna, Sarvan and Korgao.

The manifesto also ask for the termination of mining leases in watershed areas and in catchment areas of major dams which supply water for drinking, irrigation and industry. These include Selaulim, Opa and Assanora as well as the western ghat’s sanctuaries, protected areas and their buffer zones, government forests and private forests.

Another demand is termination of mining leases in tribal and other villages of inhabitance and cancellation of all environmental clearances by the ministry of environment and forest, New Delhi.