Margao: The demand for an immediate restart of mining in South Goa is fast turning into a potential election issue in the mining belt of South Goa ahead of the 2027 assembly polls.Truck owners and drivers from Sanguem, Quepem and Curchorem met chief minister Pramod Sawant during his visit to Quepem for BJP’s voter outreach programme. They demanded that mining begin without delay in the mining blocks of South Goa and that the transportation of mining dumps be started so that they can earn a livelihood.Sawant told the delegation that mining activities would start within the next two months. However, with mining-dependent communities sceptical of the assurance, political observers say the issue could snowball into a major election plank if the promise is not honoured.The truck operators said this was not the first time they had raised the matter with the chief minister. Suraj Naik, a truck owner, said a delegation of truck drivers and owners from Rivona, Cavrem-Pirla and Sanvordem had earlier met the CM and placed two demands before him.“The first was that Colomb in Rivona be excluded from the list of villages classified as Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). The second was that mining blocks which were tendered some two years ago, but where work has not yet commenced, be made functional at the earliest. We also asked that transportation of mining dumps be started, as govt has already formulated a mining dumps policy,” Naik said.Colomb is one of the 26 villages in Sanguem taluka proposed to be classified as part of Western Ghats ESA under the Centre’s draft notifications. Naik said that if Colomb is included in the ESA category, restrictions could also come in the way of mining activities there.Pointing to the situation in the north of the state, Naik said several mining blocks in North Goa had been tendered and work had already started.The CM is said to have assured the delegation of holding a meeting with the bidders and officials of the mining department to expedite the transportation of ore from the auctioned mining dumps in South Goa.Mining came to a halt more than a decade ago, leaving truck owners, drivers, machinery operators and a host of ancillary businesses without steady income. Moreover, the visible progress in North Goa has only sharpened the sense of being left behind.Sources said South Goa’s mining belt has traditionally supported BJP. However, if govt fails to restart mining activities before the elections, and if the opposition succeeds in whipping up passions over the issue, BJP could face resistance even in its stronghold areas.
