Prabhu hopeful of early resolution to Goa mining issue

Commerce minister Suresh Prabhu Thursday expressed hope for early resolution of the Goa mining issue, which is impacting the economy of the state.

Goa's economy is dependent on mining and tourism, he said.

Tourism is not in a good shape and mining has virtually stopped, so there is a huge unemployment, he told reporters here.

"We as an industry ministry is concerned with that because in our industrial growth, mining is a key component. It's upstream and downstream sectors also get affected.

"It has a huge impact on economy also. The chief minister of Goa has been raising the issue and we have taken up the issue. Hopefully, there should be some resolution found. But, the resolution is not with me, this has to be by the mining and law ministries," he added.

The mining operations, a key source of revenue to the state government, came to a standstill in March last year following a Supreme Court order which quashed 88 mining leases.

The BJP-led state government has requested the Centre to amend the existing mining laws during the ongoing session of Parliament so that leases get extended.

The Goa Mining People's Front (GMPF), an umbrella group of mining dependents - whose livelihood has been affected - had recently staged three-day protests in New Delhi demanding resumption of mining activities in the state.