Goa mine owner wants referendum on ban

Quoting Anna Hazare, a leading mine owner here today said that there should be a referendum on whether the current Supreme Court-imposed ban on mining activity in Goa should continue.
"Anna Hazare had said let the people of Goa, connected with the mineral activity, decide. In the same spirit, I also feel that let the people of mining industry decide the fate of this economic activity through a referendum," said Auduth Timblo, chairman, Fomento Resources.
Timblo is involved in mining in Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Hazare had made the statement here a few months ago, saying that local people should decide whether they want mining in the area.

Timblo further said that such a referendum should be limited only to mining belt, because "people in Panjim or Mapusa are little aware of the importance and impact of this activity".
Mining in Goa has come to a halt since September last year following the apex court's interim order.
Timblo also claimed that mining activity in the state was not as polluting as the propaganda made it out to be, and its impact on the public health was zero. "This has been proved by primary health checks by government and the top mineral development companies. The people living in mineral belt are healthier than others," he said.

Tiblo, who is a party to the PILs before the Supreme Court, said 95 per cent of the mining in the state was within the legal framework. He also said that some "super-technical" and archaic rules could not be adhered to and were broken, but it did not make the entire activity illegal.