Vested interests behind Margao attack: Gawas & Bhave
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 04 March 2013 12:55 IST
Ramesh Gawas, fighting illegal mining, and Bhushan Bhave, who has studied Shah Commission report thoroughly, feel that vested interests behind illegal mining are involved in the incident of attack on RTI activists in Margao on Saturday.
Hundreds of mining-dependent people had disrupted a small-hall meeting held in Margao to discuss the mining scenario and had even attacked the activists of Goa RTI Forum on Saturday.
Gawas and Bhave were the speakers at the Margao meeting. Gawas however stayed away from the meeting after getting information about the plan of mining-dependent people.
Bhave, who was present in Margao, felt that the mining-dependent people became furious when they were not allowed to attend the meeting.
According to Forum secretary Shrikant Barve, the meeting was strictly for the invitees and not the general public.
“Such meeting cannot remain private when you intimate about it through SMS and social networking sites like Facebook”, feels Bhave.
The Forum should have arranged it in a bigger hall (Margao hall could accommodate only 35 persons) and heard the opinion of mining-dependent people.
He feels there was nothing wrong in shouting slogans when their polite request to attend the meeting was rejected. But he does not agree the violent act like throwing bottles etc.
“May be they feel that around 600 people are required to counter the arguments of Ramesh Gawas. They had come to counter him”, said Bhave.
Gawas had already answered all the queries raised by mining-dependent people at the first programme organized by the Forum at International Centre Goa on 24 February.
Following this, the mining-dependent people came to Margao in six hired buses for the second programme of similar nature.
Bhave however does not rule out the possibility of vested interests like the mine owners organizing the operation in Margao.
“It’s a divide and rule policy these vested interests and I feel mining-dependent people are missing the prime target in the issue”, Bhave agreed.
He feels the mine owners and the whole government machinery was responsible for the existing mining crisis.
He however also feels that even the NGOs should talk sensibly without hurting the mining-dependent people who have ultimately suffered in the bargain as mining operations have fully come to a standstill.
Ramesh Gawas however says he equally sympathises with the mining-dependent people who have suffered.
In fact he reminded of the stand he had taken at the ICG while replying to the queries raised by the mining-dependent people that the government should take over all the mines who are retrenching the workers.
Both Gawas and Bhave are of the opinion that the government should recover the money from illegal traders and compensate the workers who have suffered.
Gawas however looks at the Margao incident as a pre-planned attack by the mine owners, trade union leaders and the government.
“Is it a failure of the intelligence agency or a deliberate move not to provide enough police security in Margao when hundreds of people gather to attack a small group of activists”, asks Gawas.
In fact chief minister Manohar Parrikar – also the home minister – had hinted last week that delay in decision on the mining issue may lead to violent actions.
With a feeling that the government is deliberately turning blind eye towards such action, Gawas now plans to approach the Governor with a request to intervene in the matter.
Gawas disclosed that he did not go to Margao as he received several calls revealing him the plan to attack him at the Margao meeting.
“It is a call all the democratic-minded NGOs and people should take to organize themselves and counter the undemocratic means to suppress the movement against illegal mining”, said Gawas.
He said his research and struggle is to save Goa from destruction and save the tiny state for the welfare of future generations and definitely not to harm the workers who are involved in the activity of legal mining.
