PANAJI: All major political parties contesting the February 14 Goa Assembly elections, including BJP, Congress, AAP and TMC, have promised resumption of mining operations in the state, but voters feel that the assurance may not see the light of day as the issue has been raised just with an eye on polls and will be forgotten after that.
The mining industry, which used to be one of the major sources of revenue for Goa, had come to a grinding halt in the state in March 2018 after the Supreme Court quashed 88 mining leases.
During a public meeting held at Sanvordem assembly constituency, a mining-dominated belt around 70 kms from Panaji on January 30, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had assured that the iron ore mining industry in Goa will start functioning with "double force" through a transparent auctioning process after the state elections.
"I am telling you that after the elections, through a transparent auctioning process, Goa's mining industry will start working with double force," he had said.
The Pramod Sawant-led government has formed Mining Corporation, which will resume mining within six months of assuming power, Shah had said.
The BJP, in its election manifesto, also assured to resume mining within six months if it continues to remain in power in the state.
In its manifesto, the Congress also promised resumption of mining activities in the coastal state if it returns to power.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) gave a similar assurance.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), which are contesting the Goa polls together, have released their common manifesto promising resumption of mining operations, among other things.
However, despite the promise by the parties, local residents are cautious in their approach as they feel that these political outfits are giving the assurance only to win elections.
"Whether BJP or any other political party, none of them have plans or intentions to resume mining in the state. The issue has been raised in the run-up to the elections and will be forgotten later," said Amit Bandodkar, a resident of Sanvordem, who used to own trucks that were deployed in the mining industry.
He said resumption of mining activities is a distant dream and the industry will have to survive on transportation of ore from the dumps.
The state government had recently passed the dump policy, which allows low grade ore outside the mining leases to be exported.
The mining industry in Goa had faced a severe jolt in 2012 when the Supreme Court banned mining activities after alleged irregularities in the sector came to light.
The key industry, which resumed operations in 2015 following lifting of the ban, faced a fresh crisis in mid-March after the apex court quashed 88 mining leases.
In 2011, when the Congress was in power, the Goa legislative assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report had allegedly indicted the then chief minister Digambar Kamat in Rs 35,000 crore mining scam.
The allegations were also supported by Supreme Court-appointed M B Shah Commission.
Talking to reporters here on Thursday, Kamat claimed that there existed no such PAC report as cited by the BJP to accuse him of being involved in the alleged scam.
The Congress has dared the BJP to make the report public.
Kamat, who if fighting next week's Goa polls, has said that once his party comes to power, the mining industry will resume immediately.
Former BJP minister Deepak Pauskar, who is contesting as an independent candidate from Sanvordem constituency, told PTI that the BJP never intended to start mining operations as it wanted to benefit few of the mine owners.
"If BJP wanted to start mining, they would have done it a long back. There are vested interests within the party who do not want its resumption," he claimed.