Goa govt to spend Rs 150 crore to offset mining ban impact

Out of 40 constituencies in the state, Sanvordem, Sanguem and Sattari, which constitute the mining belt, will get Rs 20 cr each

In a bid to offset the adverse impact on economy due to ban on mining, Goa Government will spend Rs 150 crore on various developmental works mostly in the state's mining belt.

Public Works Department Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar told reporters today that though some works have already been started but majority of them will begin from November 15 onwards, even as the tendering process is on.

Out of 40 constituencies in the state, Sanvordem, Sanguem and Sattari, which constitute the mining belt, will get Rs 20 crore each, besides the backward areas of Canacona and Pernem, and the rest Rs 15 crore, he said.

Dhavalikar said that the developmental works of all kind would be undertaken with these funds and additional resources would be mobilised to augment the water supply in these constituencies.

"As assured by the government, we will cross Rs 150 crore mark in the constituencies where there is a lull due to mining," the minister said.

Dhavalikar said that the works were being tendered depending on the list of priorities given by the local legislators, which was later approved by the chief minister. In pace of development in the coastal state, he said that the Parrikar-led BJP government had to sacrifice developmental work for a year as it was dealing with bad financial legacy of the erstwhile government.

The Supreme Court had last year halted the extraction and transportation of the ore on a petition alleging largescale illegalities in the trade.