Add my name to the list of all the others who do not understand what is going on in Goa. We all know what a mess the mining industry is going through presently but we cannot understand how it got to be this way! It is an industry, isn't it? There are rules and regulations, aren't there? Who is to blame for the catastrophe? I and a lot of Goans don't understand at all.
The Supreme Court says there are illegal mining leases. What does this mean? Someone, I assume, issued the illegal leases. Am I wrong to assume it is the government? So, who was in charge? No one? It is an industry, and the oldest in the history of Goa, so it is organized, isn't it? If the government is responsible then it goes without saying the government has to take responsibility. Or no one is responsible as mining has been good for Goa, and the government can get away with anything? Will there be no solution to this problem other than the Congress Party blaming the BJP and vice versa. End of story? Is development another word for being able to get away with anything? The government is above the law? Does the Indian constitution say the government is above the law? Break the law in any sector and then use ordinances to get away with it? Is it the special privilege of the government to break the law in the name of development? I don't think anyone would agree with this! Some miners unlike rabbits have burrowed much deeper into the holy earth of Goa in their search for brown gold. Have they done wrong by excavating much more than they were given permission? And, they have become rich through illegal mining and theft. Very rich. The have gotten away with thousands of crores, more zeros than my math skills can track or understand. One state in India has penalized the bad boys of mining for doing the same. But will the Goa government fine them? It is a mystery. Some people say the government will do nothing as the government has a big heart, for the rich, at least. The mining dependents want the government to bail them out which is a complicated line of reasoning, and I can't follow it. We understand their livelihood and future is precarious but that is the nature of doing business. What about other businessmen, especially, sons-of- the-soil? Will they also be bailed out if they fail in business? Will government bail out everyone who fails in business? If the government bails out everyone who fails in business I can understand their thinking and actions. Otherwise, it is a mystery. As the government is primarily responsible for this mess in the first place, it will be beyond conscience to proceed with this line of reasoning or issuing ordinances. The world will be shocked and so will Goans who cannot understand what is going on. Is it a mystery?