O' Herald reported that far away from Goa where there is massive popular support for the halt of rampant illegal mining by the Supreme Court in the aftermath of the Shah Commission Report and in an apparent bid to sway the opinion of New Delhi's power elite against the apex court's ban, the State's mining companies in tandem with their workers unions and some panchayats have put out a half page advertisement in major newspapers in the capital claiming that 4,00,000 lives in Goa face uncertain future.
The advertisement demands an immediate resolution to what the mining lobby terms legal iron ore operations.
Legal opinion is divided on whether the advertisement would make a difference with many feeling it may rather boomerang on the advertisers if the petitioner, Goa Foundation, cites it as an unconstitutional or extra judicial attempt to influence the court proceedings and taking them to the public domain.
The advertisement claims that Goa has seen 35% of its revenue disappear since the iron ore industry in the State was ordered to be closed, though without saying that the closure was ordered by the Supreme Court.
The advertisement has been released on behalf of purportedly the responsible and sustainable iron ore industry of Goa and in the name of Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association, Goa Mining Association, Goa Barge Owners Association, various truck owners associations in Goa, various employees unions of iron ore mining workers in Goa, Goa Machinery Owners Association and various panchayats.
The advertisers said that Goa iron ore operations compare with the best in the world and states boldly that as one of the largest contributor to the State GDP, the suspension will have a great impact on the State government's ability to meet its fiscal and social obligations.
It said that "Goa iron ore industry is unique with a history as long as that of Independent India and makes the claim that the closure of the industry impacts the lives of one out every 3 Goans."
It added that "Goa is not Karnataka, insisting that the industry has a 60 year old history of what it claims is peaceful coexistence with the community has been involved in creating an inclusive eco system and that less than 1% of Goa's area has forests within working leases as opposed to 90% in Karnataka.
Meanwhile, the Central Empowered Committee, which was asked by the Supreme Court to file a report on the state of the mining affairs in Goa based on the Shah Commission Report, is yet to submit its report, though it concluded hearing of the parties including the Goa government and the mine owners last week. The petitioner's lawyer Prashant Bhushan is not aware of any affidavit filed by the Goa government to plead for resumption of the legal mining as reported in the media.
