Re: [Goanet] mining in Goa - the insolence and dare
Dear FN, Yes, Policy makers in Delhi are serious of pleasing their master at 10, Janpath. They would do little for public good unless forced to. The increase in export duty from 5% to 20% is not because people wanted it. It is because steel lobby wanted it to be 30%. They threatened to increase steel prices. Thereby making infrastructure development less viable and making inflation look more serious. Rollback will depend on the size of suit case miners can send to 10 Janpath. Goa's problems on mining front are largely because mines ministry has one single incubent for far too long 12 years. Digu was put there by Sardinha and miners ensured that he was kept there whether Parrikar or Rane was CM. Need new blood, new thinking to be introduced in mines ministry. Rajendra On Fri, 4 Mar 2011 Frederick Noronha fredericknoro...@gmail.com wrote: Carmen and all working on this issue: Congrats for the headway made... the impact is showing. At the end of the day, different people and groups will use and advocate diverse approaches. What works is what matters. FN PS: Do you think New Delhi will roll back the fact that mining ore from Goa is now a bit costlier? Will the local lobbies succeed, or is some policy-maker serious?
[Goanet] mining in Goa - the insolence and dare
Carmen wrote:Yes Soter , you got the wrong impression as usual! A year ago (not a couple of months ago) we managed to get a moratorium on new mining leases in Goa and that is a cause to celebrate. There are already 110 so called legal mining operations, and if we did not get the moratorium there would be another 130 extra mines operating in Goa by now! So yes, it is Jai Jairam Ramesh Ho indeed! The problem of illegal mining which is another problem altogether, needs to be resolved by Goa government and not central government. When there is a situation of a total breakdown of law and order, and when the minister's themselves and the police are involved in illegal activities including mining, than the only solution is revolution. I hope my message now is quite clear!Soter replies:The message is not yet clear Carmen. For those well versed with political gimmicks do not bite anything and everything like the gullible Goemkar.A Moratorium on future mining leases is taken as great achievement when you yourself admit about a breakdown of law and order? So continue raping the hills as far and wide as you can get with the 110 existing leases as it is all politically stretchable to 130 in a lawless Goa.Attack some insignificant Sheikh Mukthar and proclaim success while the other sharks continue their trade. Jai Ram! Ram Yesh!
[Goanet] mining in Goa - the insolence and dare
Soter!! Your resistance to understand the struggle against mining in Goa is astonishing! It would be really nice if you had taken the trouble to find out a little bit more about what we are trying to do regarding the mining issue , before you make the wrong assumptions and try to make me look like a fool in this platform. You are lucky that I believe in creating awareness about this crucial issue in Goa. Therefore let me point out to you that just because we managed to get the moratorium for the new mining leases, which by itself was indeed crucial and an achievement, it does not mean we are not fighting the established and so called legal mines and illegal mines in Goa - on the contrary ! We are indeed trying extremely hard to close down the entire mining industry in Goa, but that cannot be done overnight. Any idiot would understand that! In any case, it is not a question of understanding politics, but a question of taking into consideration the few thousand people who are employed by this industry at the moment. You have to be realistic, find alternatives, think strategically and work on it in every way possible. We are after all fighting very powerful and rootless people who have the entire government under their control. For every practical purpose they are the government! That has not stopped me and others from fighting them and confronting them. At the end of the day I may not achieve much, but no one can say I have not tried. Furthermore, if you knew the real significance of fighting and winning against the insignificant Sheikh Mukthar (according to you) you would be now busy congratulating the Adivasis from Caurem instead of wasting your time picking on me. Let me make it very clear that first of all there is no such thing as insignificant legal or illegal miner. The damage they cause is always significant and often irreversible. You might be well versed in local politics, but I and everyone else I am working with in Goa are not spring chickens and naive ignorant idiots . We are realistic and are working on this issue systematically in every way we possibly can and relentlessly. Politics are not above everything in this world, and especially not above Goa's environment. I will continue to fight for it despite all the local politics which is in practice just corruption, not real politics. Moreover, the breakdown of law and order in Goa has nothing to do with the fact that we got the moratorium, which is something we can use to try and stop new mines from starting by taking them to Supreme Court if necessary. I know that for the likes of Timblo even the Supreme Court means nothing...but we can try. Bottom line is we have to be vigilant all the time and fight the existing system and status quo and the moratorium is a good barrier albeit temporary as is the direct action taken by the affected people form Caurem. A tremendous example of people power against the government corruption and incompetence. Of course the ultimate and ideal solution is revolution, but meanwhile Jai Ram! Ram Yes! INDEED! essage: 2 Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2011 17:21:16 +0530 From: SOTER so...@bsnl.in To: goa...@goanet.org Subject: [Goanet] mining in Goa - the insolence and dare Message-ID: 000901cbd999$527368f0$1901a8c0@user77948b9580 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original Carmen wrote:Yes Soter , you got the wrong impression as usual! A year ago (not a couple of months ago) we managed to get a moratorium on new mining leases in Goa and that is a cause to celebrate. There are already 110 so called legal mining operations, and if we did not get the moratorium there would be another 130 extra mines operating in Goa by now! So yes, it is Jai Jairam Ramesh Ho indeed! The problem of illegal mining which is another problem altogether, needs to be resolved by Goa government and not central government. When there is a situation of a total breakdown of law and order, and when the minister's themselves and the police are involved in illegal activities including mining, than the only solution is revolution. I hope my message now is quite clear!Soter replies:The message is not yet clear Carmen. For those well versed with political gimmicks do not bite anything and everything like the gullible Goemkar.A Moratorium on future mining leases is taken as great achievement when you yourself admit about a breakdown of law and order? So continue raping the hills as far and wide as you can get with the 110 existing leases as it is all politically stretchable to 130 in a lawless Goa.Attack some insignificant Sheikh Mukthar and proclaim success while the other sharks continue their trade. Jai Ram! Ram Yesh! --
Re: [Goanet] mining in Goa - the insolence and dare
Carmen and all working on this issue: Congrats for the headway made... the impact is showing. At the end of the day, different people and groups will use and advocate diverse approaches. What works is what matters. FN PS: Do you think New Delhi will roll back the fact that mining ore from Goa is now a bit costlier? Will the local lobbies succeed, or is some policy-maker serious? Frederick Noronha :: +91-9822122436 :: +91-832-2409490
[Goanet] mining in Goa - the insolence and dare
Yes Soter , you got the wrong impression as usual! A year ago (not a couple of months ago) we managed to get a moratorium on new mining leases in Goa and that is a cause to celebrate. There are already 110 so called legal mining operations, and if we did not get the moratorium there would be another 130 extra mines operating in Goa by now! So yes, it is Jai Jairam Ramesh Ho indeed! The problem of illegal mining which is another problem altogether, needs to be resolved by Goa government and not central government. When there is a situation of a total breakdown of law and order, and when the minister's themselves and the police are involved in illegal activities including mining, than the only solution is revolution. I hope my message now is quite clear! Carmen
[Goanet] mining in Goa - the insolence and dare
This is a scandal and an outrage! The information below, was sent to me by two of my activist friends in Goa A. Prabhudesai and T. Jorge, and I would like to share it with everyone in goanet, as I am in search of urgent help and advise . The text below illustrates the increasing insolence and dare by the mine owners in Goa who act illegally not only with impunity but also with police protection. If I was in Goa I would immediately go and confront the Police Chief in Quepem to start with, and file a complaint against their behaviour at the appropriate authorities, given that it is not the first time that they side with the criminals (miners) in that area of Goa. Can someone in Goa please help, and kindly suggest what can be done to bring some law and order and compliance with High Court orders by the miners and the police in Goa? Carmen Miranda Date: Monday, 28 February, 2011, 3:14 PM Caurem, Quepem- Goa 28 February 2011 In a bizarre turn of events for the villagers of Caurem, Quepem taluka, an illegal mine at Devapan Dongor (Devapan literally means God's Sacred Grove) was restarted today under police protection, much to the shock of the residents of this predominantly tribal village. The Xec Salim mine has been operating in the heart of Caurem for three years, in total violation of various conditions imposed by the clearances issued by various authorities. Some villagers and Goa Foundation had petitioned the Hon'ble High Court before the commencement of the mine stating that the mine cannot be permitted since the data used to obtain the permissions was fraudulent, but the case is dragging for three years now. Other frustrated villagers started studying the legal documents and discovered in September 2010 that the mine had been operating without Consent to Operate under the Air Act since 1st January 2010. In the meanwhile, the Panjim Bench of the Hon'ble Bombay High Court had passed Orders on 20th September 2010 indicating that the Court was under the impression that the mine is not operational since January 2010, while large scale illegal extraction of ore from the sacred hill was carried out for most of the period! Only after tireless correspondence by the villagers giving evidence of massive violation of conditions and laws, the mine was forced to close down in November 2010. The mine has already caused serious destruction of the water resources of this village and endangered the very existence of Karka River, a tributary of the Kushawati River. The tribal and other villagers have been complaining to all authorities about the loss of their Forest Rights, rise in respiratory diseases, destruction of their cultivated lands and forests, reduction in water flow of their springs and the desecration of their sacred grove, but to no avail. Four villagers, Nilesh Gaonkar, Tulsidas Velip, Chandrakant Devidas and Satyavan Velip were summoned today morning to the Quepem Police Station for enquiry related to Section 149 of the CrPC, which threatens to take away the Freedom of these villagers to defend their Rights. The summons were responded to by 80 villagers, including many women, agitated by the fact that conscientious, upright neighbours were being summoned to the police station. The shock and indignation of the villagers turned to disbelief and a sense of betrayal on learning that the mining company had restarted their mining activities under police protection, while they were at the police station.
Re: [Goanet] mining in Goa - the insolence and dare
Carmen writes: The text below illustrates the increasing insolence and dare by the mine owners in Goa who act illegally not only with impunity but also with police protection. Comment: Are re re! Is there still a mining problem in Goa? A couple of months ago, if I correctly remember, anti-mining stalwarts were celebrating success. It was 'Jai (Ram Ramesh) Ho!' It gave one the impression that the miners were supposed to pack up and jump in Mandovi. Chaka Chak? Did I get the wrong impression? -Soter
