Mining hearing begins, may continue till next week
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 17 September 2013 18:30 IST
At last, the uninterrupted hearing of the case of Goa’s mining ban started from today morning in the Supreme Court, with Adv Prashant Bhushan arguing for the whole day for Goa Foundation.
A forest bench comprising Justice A K Patnaik, Justice S S Nijjar and Justice F M Ibrahim Kalifulla will hear the case till the end.
Following Shah Commission report on illegal mining of Goa, Goa Foundation had approached the apex court on 25 September last year, urging total ban on mining operations in Goa.
Accordingly, the apex court, on 5 October last year, had imposed total ban on mining, including transportation of the extracted iron ore, till the case was disposed.
The court had also directed its Central Empowered Committee to submit a report by personally visiting the mining leases and verifying all the documents mentioned in the Shah Commission report.
Accordingly, the CEC had submitted its report on 7 December last year, following which several intervention applications were filed by Goa Mining Association, Goa Mining Welfare Union, few village panchayats as well as mining lease holders.
This was also followed by affidavits and counter affidavits, including by petitioner Goa Foundation and respondent Goa government.
The case, which is primiarly being filed against the union and state governments and its related departments, has finally come up for hearing from today.
Adv Bhsuhan is expected to continue his arguments tomorrow, following which the CEC will put forward its arguments.
This would be followed by the arguments by the union ministry of environment and forests and Goa government.
All the parties who have intervened would be heard at the end of the hearing.
The forest bench has decided to continue the hearing next week from Tuesday in case the hearing is not completed by Friday this week.
Present-BJP CM and Ex-Congress CM has joined their hands to re-start Mining in Goa and to Construct Mopa Airport in Goa. Congress and BJP has become One. Now only one Party left for Goans to Save Goa and that is Aam Aadmi Party. AAP will Save Goa from Mining & Mopa. Less than 10% Goans are with Congress/BJP & Mining/Mopa. More than 90% Goans are with AAP. More than 90% Goans don’t want Mining & Mopa. Long Live Arvind Kejriwal.