Panaji, Nov 20 : More than a year after mining was banned in the state by the Supreme Court in 2018, the Goa government on Tuesday filed a review petition with the apex court seeking a relook of the mining ban. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told reporters that the state government was deeply concerned about the impact of the mining ban on the livelihoods of the people living in the state’s mining belt.
“Review petition against the Supreme Court judgement imposing mining ban in Goa has been filed by Goa government today. Although delayed, our faith in judiciary remains strong,” Sawant told reporters.
“We are deeply concerned by the effects of mining closure on the livelihoods of our people. This major step is one of our many persistent attempts towards safeguarding the interests of the mining community and the Goan economy,” Sawant added.
The Supreme Court banned mining in the state in March last year on account of irregularities in the sector. The state government is currently in consultation with the Centre to find a way to restart mining at the earliest. When the industry was at its peak in 2011, mining accounted for nearly 30 per cent of Goa’s GDP.
