The Goa Church has demanded that the government withdraw allthe criminal cases filed against anti-illegal mining activists as their standis vindicated after the tabling of the Justice M B Shah Commission report.
The Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), a wing ofGoa Church, has also expressed its worry about the people dependent on miningwho are facing huge financial debts and the threat of losing everything due tothe current crisis impending over the trade.
The Supreme Court in its recent verdict haltedtransportation and extraction of iron ore in Goa, pending report from thecentrally empowered committee which will probe into the illegal mining scenarioin the state following Shah Commission's findings.
CSJP executive secretary Fr Savio Fernandes has said thatbeing sympathetic to the cause of innocent victims of mining crisis, theCouncil also expresses its concern over the number of criminal cases by thegovernment and the mining lobby - pending in various courts - in a bid tosilence innocent locals who dared protest against the violation of their humanrights by the mining industry.
"While the Government considers proposals forcompensating those who have lost their livelihoods due to the ban on mining,the Council demands that all pending criminal cases against anti-miningactivists be withdrawn as their stand against the excesses and illegalities inmining is now established by the Shah Commission report and found reasonable.This is reflected in the ban imposed by the Supreme Court," he added.
The Council has also shared the concerns and distress of theGoan community due to social and economic consequences of the suspension ofmining operations in the state.
"The Council expresses its concern for the thousands ofmine workers who have lost their livelihood all of a sudden, and small timeentrepreneurs (single truck owners) who are facing huge financial debts and thethreat of losing everything due to their inability to repay their bank loans,”he said.
This unexpected occasion is a clarion call for the Goancommunity to rally through a humane and compassionate response towards many ofthose innocent people struck by misfortune due to no fault of theirs while theyalso explore alternative avenues for their employment, the CSJP has said.
As the Goan people are in the grip of this dilemma betweenmining and livelihood, Fr Fernandes said the Council addresses the Goancommunity and its policy makers to reiterate the invaluable principles ondevelopment.
He said that the current mining crisis is a wake-up call forthe State Government and the people of Goa to relook at all economic policiesfor their sustainability and adherence to human rights seriously.
