Caurem ore transport suspended, Prakash Velip trying for CM’s intervention
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 09 April 2016 22:40 IST
Ore transport in Caurem has been temporarily suspended once again from tomorrow till amicable solution is arrived at by asking intervention of Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar.
This was the decision arrived at by today evening after Prakash Velip, former Quepem MLA and president of United Tribals’ Association Alliance (UTAA), met the protesting villagers in Caurem.
Congress MLA Alex Reginald Lourenco as well as Prashant Naik and Dilip Prabhudesai, leaders of Goa Forward, also met the peacefully protesting villagers.
Velip, who was recently brought back to the BJP fold, told goanews.com that he would meet the CM tomorrow in Panaji, seeking his urgent intervention to resolve the issue amicably.
“I am confident that the government would arrive at a solution acceptable to both the parties – the villagers as well as the mining lease holders – after CM’s intervention”, said Velip.
He met local panch Ravindra Velip, who was blind-folded and assaulted in judicial lock up, as well as the protesting villagers.
“They are not opposing mining. In fact they want to help streamline the mining activity and increase government’s revenue. The villagers should also benefit from mining”, feels former minister.
The protesting tribals are demanding a fresh inventory of the e-auctioned iron ore as they feel that the ore lying at the leases is more than what has been e-auctioned.
They also want police investigation into the assault on Ravindra in the jail as well as manhandling of the protesting villagers by officials of Quepem police station.
Their ultimate demand however has been that the mining activity be carried out through Sadhana Multipurpose Co-operative Society the villagers have formed.
The government authorities are presently not agreeing to any of these demands, due to which the villagers have become furious.
The former Quepem MLA said he also spoke to sports minister Ramesh Tawadkar in this regard, seeking his intervention to resolve the issue of their tribal colleagues.
