Citizens for immediate halt to illegal mining

PANAJI: All illegal mining should be stopped immediately and action should be initiated against officials involved in the illegal Special Economic Zone (SEZ) land allotments. These were among the 12 resolutions passed at the Sunday afternoon meeting after the India Against Corruption march that was backed by some prominent Goans.
Nearly 500 citizens from various walks of life participated in the march under the banner of India Against Corruption (Goa Joins) in the sweltering afternoon sun.The rally left Azad Maidan in the state capital at around 3.30pm and proceeded along M G Road to Caculo Circle and returned to Azad Maidan via 18th June Road. The march culminated with a brief meeting which ended nearly three hours after the rally had begun.
Bharat Swabhiman’s Kamlesh Bandekar said, “Our agitation against corruption will only get stronger. We give government three months’ time to meet four of the Goa demands.” The participants swore to fight corruption through peaceful means during the march. Among the meeting’s resolutions were that the chairperson and the board of directors of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation, who allotted about 40 lakh sq m of land to SEZ promoters, the allotment of which has been quashed by the high court, be asked to resign and penal action taken against the officials involved. Addressing the gathering, freedom fighter Nagesh Karmali said, “Corruption cannot be fought by any army. It is your battle.” Former Goa Bachao Abhiyan convenor Oscar Rebello said, “There is no one particular way to fight corruption. It is time to explore different ways to get out of corruption.”
The resolutions will be submitted by the citizens to the governor to be forwarded to the President and the Prime Minister as part of the countrywide campaign. The resolutions also stated that the state government should implement all the recommendations of the Regional Plan 2021 in respect of mining and take immediate steps to stop corruption in renewal of leases, extraction and transportation of iron ore.
The Goa specific demands also stated that forest rights and other privileges guaranteed under various Central Acts be immediately implemented to give justice to scheduled tribes in Goa. The demands of the India Against Corruption movement nationally is mainly that the Lokpal Bill at the Centre against corruption be passed and implemented immediately and that Lokayukta be set up within a month in the states thereafter.
Goa’s citizenry demanded that the Lokayukta Bill, pending for more than seven years, be placed before the public, changes made as per people’s wishes and an ordinance promulgated within two months. The demands also state that all property acquired illegally or by misuse of office should be confiscated by the government and that all ministers, MLAs, corporations chairpersons, municipal councillors, panchayat members should file their annual property returns with the Lokayukta. Goa Bachao Abhiyan convenor Sabina Martins and social activist Aravind Bhatikar were among those who spoke at the rally. The participants included Art of Living’s Venkatesh Hegde, former IGPs Prabhakar Sinari and Anthony D’Souza.