Corridor of uncertainty & a filmy interlude.... (Herald)

Corridor of uncertainty & a filmy interlude.... October 16, 2012 TEAM HERALD teamherald@herald-goa.com What happens to Goa’s Rs 300-crore mining corridor? That is the question on the lips of government insiders now that the Supreme Court, in the aftermath of the Shah Commission Report, has banned all mining activity in the State due to the rampant illegalities in the sector over the past decade and more. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is thought to be keen that work on the corridor continues apace ~ presumably preparing for the day when a new, sustainable mining map of Goa is formulated after discussions with all stakeholders that excludes all those from the current lot who have committed illegalities rather than reward them for looting the people’s resources. And a new, strictly and independently regulated sector comprising legal players with an (enforceable) commitment to sustainable mining in a non-monopolistic way, as opposed to the resource-rapist cartels exposed by the Shah Commission, would certainly need the mining corridor, provided the State government gets its act together and the mining sector gets a fresh start. But as of today the situation on the ground is that a slowdown in work on the mining corridor has already been reported and indications are that the plan of completing the three phases within 20 months looks far-fetched. According to information made available to HERALD, while work on Phase-I is ongoing no progress has been made so far in the second phase of the mining corridor which was to be tendered and the third phase is still at the survey stage. Phase-I of the mining corridor passes through Uguem and Sanguem to Guddemol ~ a four-lane concrete road over a stretch of 8.86 kms. Phase-II is from Guddemol to Capxem, a distance of 8.38 kms, while Phase-III will cover approximately 22 kms and will connect the mining traffic from Rivona, Cavrem and Pirla areas to Uguem. The project has already met with various bottlenecks over land acquisition, forest approvals and financial implications. Interestingly, while mining companies were expected to invest in this corridor, the government is now proposing to take on the job on its own as there is likely to be some resistance towards contributions from miners many of whom have been caught with their pants down, as it were. The Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association Secretary Glenn Kalavampara, when contacted for his views, made the claim that “mining has only come to a halt and not to an end”, adding that the “mining corridor is a must and work should continue”. But on the issue of mining firms contributing to its construction provided any of them are found to be legal ~ and there is likely to be a fresh row if “clean chits” are handed out in an arbitrary manner without public explanations and civil society involvement given the nature of the Goa’s biggest ever scam ~ the GMOEA secretary was unwilling to comment. In fact, an official source confirmed that the government has already made up its mind to invest in the corridor whether contributions come in or not as the plan is to introduce a toll system. Officials of the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) chose not to comment on the issue either, stating that at the moment the focus was on IFFI-Goa for which several infrastructure works have been entrusted to it for completion by mid-November. The Managing Director of the GSIDC said that the Entertainment Society of Goa has sought GSIDC’s help in giving the festival venues a facelift, including construction of a temporary festival venue at Kala Academy, and all its attention is focused on IFFI for the moment. http://www.heraldgoa.in/News/Main%20Page%20News/Corridor-of-uncertainty-a-filmy-interlude/65692.html