Mining In A Mess

A Supreme Court ban on iron ore mining leaves 200,000 jobless in Goa, but a confused state government has no solutions to offer.

- Kiran D. Tare

KASHINATH NAIK, 52, a resident of Savordem in south Goa, has been avoiding talking to his son Kunal, who recently finished his mining engineering degree, since March 16. That was the day iron ore mining in the state came to standstill following a Supreme Court order. Naik, who owns five mining trucks, has no money left after spending all his savings of around Rs 15 lakh on Kunal’s education. “I don’t have the guts to talk to him as I know I can’t convince him everything will be fine soon,” says Naik.

The ban has left around 200,000 people—directly or indirectly dependent on mining—in a black hole. Their unprecedented protest on March 20 in Panaji drew considerable media attention, but scarcely any action from the authorities.

The mining ban claimed its first victim when Vedanta Limited, one of the four biggest mining companies asked its employees on March 21 not to report to work. Observers believe the inc rea sed unemployment will have a significant economic and social impact on the state.

MOUNTING PROBLEMS