Demanding for early resumption of legal mining before the start of the new year 2013 Thousands of mining affected workers attached to the Goa Mining People’s Front, a coalition of forums of mining dependent people on Tuesday held a morcha along with a rally in the capital city on goa in demand of immediate resumption of legal mining in the state …
Along with the members of all India trade union congress the huge rally which proceeded from the Panjim bus stand circle and proceeded towards the azad maidan inside the city was attended by bjp mla’s subash phaldesai, dr pramod sawant, ganesh Goankar along with members of north goa and south goa truck owners association, former sanquelim mla pratap gawas, sesa goa workers union, barge owners association, citu, goa raj kamgar mahan sangh, machine owners, intuc, kranti sena Bicholim, nagrik kriti samiti and sanguem truck owners association …
It may be noted that stated that Goa Mining People’s Front have been asking for legal mining to be started in Goa as soon as possible so as to safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of mining dependent people who have been exclusively dependent on mining activity and due to the inadvertent ban on the same, have brought them on the roads.
Speaking to media reporter’s general secretary of all India trade union congress Christopher fonseca said both the state as well as the central government had to take their voice to the supreme court and get the legal mines started in goa as before the start of the new year 2013 …
Fonseca said the mining affected people had no interest in packages or subsidies but had the interest of the rightful livelihood so as to start legal mines in the state
According to GMPF members the mining industry was the backbone of Goan economy until mining was banned recently. It earned valuable foreign exchange to the central government, besides providing crores rupees of revenue to the state exchequer.
It is the largest employment generating industry in the state. An estimated 26,000 truck operators, an equal number of truck drivers and cleaners, 400 barge operators, 6000 barge crew and 20,000 mine workers are directly employed in the mining industry. Over three lakh people are dependent on the mining industry in Goa. Under such circumstances if the present mining ban is allowed to continue for an indefinite period in the state, the people dependent on mining are bound suffer and bleed
Sanguem mla subash phaldesai said people have voted them to fight for their daily-hood and over 70 percent of people in his constituency were affected due to stop of mining
