Mining resumption efforts stopped at last moment: Dhavalikar

Sudin Dhavalikar, who was unceremoniously dropped as deputy chief minister of Goa, Tuesday claimed efforts initiated by late chief minister Manohar Parrikar and Union minister Nitin Gadkari for resumption of mining were stalled at the behest of somebody.

In a veiled attack on the ruling BJP, Dhavalikar told reporters that MPs from Goa failed to effectively raise with the Centre the demand for resumption of mining activity, which has been stopped since March last year following a Supreme Court order.

Dhavalikar said he was witness to the telephonic conversation in which Parrikar, who was admitted in the AIIMS in Delhi, had requested Gadkari to intervene in resumption of mining activity.

He didn't specify the exact period when the purported conversation occurred between the two.

"After Parrikar spoke to Gadkari, the issue was taken up seriously by the Centre and it even went up to the office of attorney general," Dhavalikar claimed.

He claimed the businessmen linked to iron ore mining industry in Goa were even called to Delhi for discussion on the matter.

"But suddenly Gadkari was held back by someone. I do not know who that someone was," he said.

The iron ore industry came to a standstill since March 15, 2018, after the apex court quashed 88 mining leases.

Mining dependents are hoping for an amendment to either the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act or the Goa Daman and Diu (Abolition of Concession and Declaration as Mining Leases) Act, 1987 to circumvent the supreme court ban.

Dhavalikar was dropped from Cabinet by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the last week of March, after two of total three MLAs of the Maharashtravadi Gomantak Party (MGP) broke away and merged with the BJP.

He accused the state government of not doing enough to resolve the issue.