There is no dispute that legal mining must resume. But it should under no circumstances be a repeat of the mining loot and plunder that we have seen over the years. For the sake of posterity that mining chaos and mess should never be allowed to recur.
The recent 16th July order of the High Court directing that 28 mining leases be renewed may not sustain as it seems to be in conflict with the earlier 21st April order of the Supreme Court. From a bare reading of the order it is clear that the High Court has travelled erroneously beyond its jurisdiction in wrongly interpreting the Supreme Court directives. The High Court order once challenged is bound to be set aside. Even Advocate General Atmaram Nadkarni had at least publicly stated that the Goa government would challenge the High Court order. Did he really advise the government so? And if the government does not heed to his advice was it not incumbent on Atmaram Nadkarni to put in his papers. The dubious and very fishy role of Advocate General Atmaram Nadkarni in this recent round of 28 petitions filed by the mining companies is suspect with one of his own junior rather tout representing the mining companies in at least 9 of those petitions. This whole renewal drama of the mining lease seems to be a pre-planned cooked strategy and the theatrical rhetoric that we heard was just another of Atmaram Nadkarni‘s cock and bull story in attempting to pull the wool over our eyes. How can an Advocate General who is a known legal messiah of the mining companies be able to give a fair and unadulterated legal advice to the Government on the mining issue and the mining policy? All those involved in Goa illegal mining loot are now seen lined up at the Atmaram Nadkarni’s office on 18th June road which has virtually become the de-facto headquarters of Goa’s Mines and Geology department. For the last two and half years Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has been promising to recover those Rs 35,000 crores looted in the Goa Mining scam. But the writing is on the wall. No one will be punished and not a paisa will be recovered. That mining plunder which accelerated from the year 2000 has been an all party venture and loot with the Congress, BJP, NCP and MGP having all feasted from the pie with Manohar Parrikar himself having also been the Chief Minister of Goa from 24 October 2000 to 2 February 2005. Aires Rodrigues Advocate High Court C/G-2, Shopping Complex Ribandar Retreat, Ribandar – Goa – 403006 Mobile No: 9822684372 Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012 Email: airesrodrigu...@gmail.com Or airesrodrig...@yahoo.com You can also reach me on Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues Twitter@rodrigues_aires