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Goa CM Pramod Sawant pitches for resumption of iron ore mining at PM's meet
In his pitch before the Prime Minister during the NITI Aayog meeting, Sawant sought ‘amendments’ for small states like Goa to enable them to also benefit from Central government projects.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant pitched for the resumption of iron ore mining in Goa through handling the case ‘separately’ as well as relief for smaller states which do not have much land available for ‘development’.
In his pitch before the Prime Minister during the NITI Aayog meeting, Sawant sought ‘amendments’ for small states like Goa to enable them to also benefit from Central government projects.
“We request you for relief on (the resumption of) mining activity. We would request the central government to bring reform and handle Goa's case separately. We got Liberation in 1961 and we did not get a second renewal. It has impacted the state economy and employment,” Sawant told the meeting.
Mining in Goa is shut since 2018 when the Supreme Court decreed that all of Goa’s 88 mining leases were renewed illegally and that they should in fact have been granted as fresh leases and not renewals.
“Our major export was mining. Since mining is banned, our exports are banned. In the pharma sector there is export (but) all exports of pharma products are carried out through JNPT,” Sawant said.
“We had requested for a medical device park to enhance pharma exports. We need infrastructure at Mormugao Port to facilitate this which will bring us relief,” Sawant said.
Despite promises to help restart mining, the ‘cure’ sought by the Goa government in the form of an ‘amendment’ to the Act has not been acceded to by the Central government.
Sawant also said that Goa being a small state with much of the area as eco-sensitive was ‘missing out’ on Central government projects owing to the large nature of such projects.
“Goa is the smallest state, which has an area of only 3702 sq. km which is Western Ghats on the eastern side and the Arabian Sea to the west. We have maintained 66 per cent forest cover, private forests, eco sensitive zones, wetland zones and CRZ activity. Only 30 per cent land is available for development activities. We seek relief for smaller states and UTs by way of (an) amendment,” Sawant said without elaborating on what amendments he was seeking.
Sawant also pitched for amendments to the CRZ regulation to allow for mining of Goa’s riverbeds for sand to help meet the state’s sand demand besides also asking the Centre to sanction those central projects for the state that do not require much space.
“Central projects need huge land. We are requesting vertical mobility for such projects. This will bring relief for small states, which cannot spare a lot of land for central government projects,” he said at the meeting.
Sawant also raised the Mahadayi issue before the council saying that the state needed ‘help’ as it needed the water of the Mahadayi for drinking while raising fears that with Karnataka having diverted the river, the salinity in Goa was bound to increase inland.
“The salinity testing for it had been carried out by the WRD minister. If Mahadayi water level reduces and it is diverted, then salinity may increase, which may again cause problems. This is a sensitive issue in the state,” Sawant said.
Sawant while thanking the Prime Minister for the ₹300 crore bonanza also pledged to help the Centre complete projects like the Mopa International Airport, the state’s second airport, highway and railway expansion and other projects that have been met with resistance in Goa.
