A Dozen plus temples, Schools, Local Jobs, Private Properties, Water Bodies, Houses, entire village: All Auctioned for Mining in Goa!

Current Status ! Shirgaon Village Auctioned for Mining in Goa: A Story of Displacement and Environmental Damage

One becomes numb to the news that an entire village and everything associated with it could get auctioned. Yes! You read it correct! Dozen plus temples (which are generations old), two Schools (STD 1 – IV & STD v – X), Local Jobs, Private Properties, Water Bodies, Houses have all been auctioned for mining. Not to forget the 4000 odd residents who have directly been affected due to mining in the last 50 years and will now again be more brutally impacted after the entire village was auctioned. Not to forget the irrevocable environmental damages incurred during this process of mining over the last 50 years. It was only in October 2012 that the Supreme court intervened and put a stop to all the mining activities which was commenced by the Portuguese government. The mining history Shirgaon village dates back to Portuguese colonial times, and despite local ownership claims, mining activities continued without proper documentation or consent from the community.

Villagers of Shirgaon Demand Written Assurance Against Mining Activities in Goa !

Shirgaon (Sirigao) Village, is located in Bicholim Taluka, North Goa. The villagers are of the opinion that, earlier it was the Portuguese who handed over the mining block but the village was excluded. Though earlier the system of property documents didn’t exist, this government had the advantage of checking the survey numbers and the option of excluding the temples and village settlement, but it didn’t happen. After much uproar and pressure from the villagers, the Goa government did announce that the village and its settlement wont be harmed but the villagers demand written orders and not verbal ones, they want this entire mining block to be re-auctioned.

3 successful bidders who were leased out land parcels in and around Shirgaon are Vedanta Ltd, Salgaoncar Shipping Co Pvt Ltd and m/s Rajaram Bandekar (Sirigao) mines pvt ltd. The Shirgaon village has been awarded to m/s Rajaram Bandekar (Sirigao) mines pvt ltd. Now, since the elections are done and results are out, most of the villagers are fearing the commencement of mining activities, with no help and support from the government or even the courts.

Villagers Seek Legal Protection Amidst Uncertain Government Assurances !

“There have been several hearings but we haven’t been successful even in securing a status quo”, said Ganesh Gaonkar, President of the Devi Lairai temple committee. He further stated that, We have filed a writ petition in the court and have prayed for removal of all temples and water bodies and the entire Shirgaon village with settlement, which has been given for mining for the next 50 years”. We are also closely watching news that the Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has declared that the temples and village will be excluded from the mining but we haven’t seen any official announcement about this, there is not a single notification, and this is what is making the villagers doubt about this verbal announcement, he clarified.

Pending Hearings and Historical Context of Mining in Shirgaon

While the public hearing has been completed for Vedanta and Rajaram Bandekar, Salgaoncar Shipping Co Pvt Ltd.’s hearing is still pending and was postponed due to the general elections code of conduct, and is scheduled on 19th June 2024. Only to make sure that this pending public hearing is conducted peacefully, such news of Chief Minister are being seen across, is what the villagers are alleging. Official notification is the only way out, Gaonkar stressed. He also confirmed that they have approved this proposal, about demanding an official notification, in their committee meeting and very soon would be handed over to the government.

Mining activities commenced from 1949, when the Portuguese government started mining on the land parcel that belonged to communidad of Shirgaon. This mining continued till 2012, but there was no record of who was mining which spot but no one from village or the temple management officially gave any piece of land for mining, said Gaonkar, while sharing the history of mining in Shirgaon.

Historical Land Ownership Discrepancies and Legal Struggles in Shirgaon Village

In 1973 when the government conducted a survey they notified names of the miners on the record (1/14 extract) but the land title is not in their name. These mining companies don’t have any land ownership since 1949, when mining activities commenced here in Shirgaon. The then 3 mining companies were Chougule, Bandekar and Dempo, but no local gave them the land for mining. This entire mining scam since 1949 to 2012 was done on the land owned by Shirgaon communidad, detailed Gaonkar. Now since the survey numbers are there, even then the Shirgaon village has been auctioned. Imaging, people having their land records will have to make way for mining, unless there is an official written communication from the Goa state government.

He said that he was surprised that inspite of several hearings we still have not been successful in getting a status quo, while the mining companies are successful in getting all permissions one by one. The courts have been asking details from the government and the government has been delaying passing of the information, while we end up running from pillar to post! Vedanta and Bandekar have infact secured their Environmental Clearances (EC) and the third one would also soon get it. Gaonkar also questioned how the permissions from top to bottom were issued to m/s Rajaram Bandekar (Sirigao) mines pvt ltd inspite of these glaring facts? So blind has the system being with mining revenues that even the NEERI report, which confirms the underground water level depletion, due to mining, has been ignored, said a visibly worried Gaonkar.

In Short About the Post :