Hundreds of people here on Tuesday began a chain sit-in protest demanding immediate resumption of mining activity in the state which has been on hold for the last four months following the Supreme Court directives.
The protestors, under the banner of Goa Mining People's Front (GMPF), have resolved to continue their peaceful protests at the historic Azad Maidan in Panaji, till their demands are met.
"This is an indefinite protest. We want the concerned authorities to know that the situation is grim in rural Goa. The people dependent on mining are going through a critical phase," GMPF leader Christopher Fonseca told media persons at the protest site. All the 90-odd mining leases stopped functioning in Goa after the apex court ordered the halt of extraction and transportation of ore, awaiting report from the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).
