Goa's mining dependent people stare at dark Diwali

The people in Goa's mining belt are staring at a dark Diwali for the third consecutive year due to the ban on iron ore extraction activity in the state.
Gokuldas Kamat, sarpanch of Velguem village panchayat, said the mood in the village even in the festive season is sombre as people are in no mood to celebrate.
Before the mining ban, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali used to be celebrated with great joy. The entire village used to be lit up with celebratory mood all around. All of that changed with the mining ban and there have not been celebrations at all for two years now, he said.

"It is now a battle of survival for the people as I know personally that they are finding it difficult to make ends meet. The celebrations would happen once their livelihoods are back on track," he said.
The enthusiasm that usually surrounds a festive season has gone missing in the mining belt and people are following it now just as tradition, said Mohan Goankar, ex-sarpanch of Kirlapale village.
"We have nothing to celebrate for the last two years as our source of livelihood has been taken away for no fault of ours. We have been hoping against hope, but promises made to us have not been fulfilled," he said.

Mining is yet to resume in Goa, despite Supreme Court lifting the ban six months back with certain conditions.
On October 1, the state government had announced Goa Grant of Mining Leases Policy and said it will renew mining leases on case-to-case basis. However, no mining lease has been renewed yet.