Assault on Ravindra may delay mining operations: Claude
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 25 March 2016 18:31 IST
Goa Foundation feels the incident of assaulting mining activist Ravindra Velip in the judicial lock up may delay the mining operations indefinitely.
Dr Claude Alvares, director Goa Foundation, says the incident would vitiate further the environment against mining in the state of Goa and delay mining operations indefinitely.
“Those behind the assault on Velip are only creating more problems for themselves and their activity in the state”, he stated in a press note released to condemn the assault.
While demanding an inquiry by the IG of Prisons, Dr Alvares has also said the GF would approach the Goa State Human Rights Commission, if Velip does not approach.
According to him, the assault by unauthorised persons entering the jail could only have been possible because of the collusion of the jail authorities. It was thus premeditated.
Velip was blind folded and mercilessly beaten up at Sada sub-jail on 23 March by four unknown persons.
Dr Alvares also recalled the efforts of the group of tribal youth led by Ravindra, who located lakhs of tonnes of iron ore illegally extracted and hidden in artificial mountains under layers of mud, after the closure of mining was announced by the State Government.
The same illegal ore is now being removed under the garb of e-auction while mines department has no staff to monitor movement of the trucks, states Dr Alvares.
According to him, the group led by Ravindra is espousing the idea of village cooperatives for the activities relating to mining, from excavation to transport.
“Ravindra is therefore not opposed to mining. But unless the local villagers are involved in mining activities for which they have the capacity, they can never be expected to support mining”, he states.
Not even mining, tourism, fishing etc must also be stopped undet one pretext or other. Finally people's choice is supreme in Goa. Politics, extortion, blackmailing, activism, environtalism is ideal business for Goa. Govt's pension is there as top-up.