Legal mining in Goa should resume immediately, says Congress

PANAJI: Congress in Goa welcomed the Supreme Court order allowing mining in the state, and said legal mining should resume immediately.

"We are happy with the order. We feel legal mining should resume immediately," Goa Congress chief John Fernandes told reporters here today.

He said that it was Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar who stopped mining on September 10, 2012.

In its order today, the Supreme Court capped fresh extraction of ore to 20 metric tonnes, while it also disallowed mining within one kilometre of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.

Fernandes said that the Goa government should work towards appropriate solutions on the capping issue and buffer zones between wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.