NT Reporter
Panaji
The Goa Foundation has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) before the High Court of Bombay at Goa seeking suspension of all mining operations in the state after the monsoon. The petition calls for enforcement of Supreme Court directions and compliance with the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act, 1957, the Goa (Prevention of Illegal Mining, Storage, Transportation of Minerals) Rules, 2013, and the Goa Mineral Policy, 2013.
The High Court issued notices to the state of Goa and others and fixed September 18 to consider interim relief. The PIL raises concerns about the recommencement of mining in Goa “without any semblance of a regulatory system in place.”
The petition states that mineral resources are collectively owned by citizens and must be governed under the Public Trust Doctrine. It invokes the National Mineral Policy, 2019, and constitutional principles to stress the need for transparent management, fair economic results, and protection of the rights of present and
future generations.
According to the petition, the state is expected to earn around Rs 87,528 crore from auctioning the first 12 major mineral blocks—nearly four times Goa’s projected revenue for FY 2025–26. “Money cannot be a problem to set up a proper regulatory system,” the petition states. The plea also highlights past mismanagement of Goa’s mineral wealth, alleging that private players exerted undue influence over regulators, causing major losses to the exchequer and environmental damage. It accuses the state of failing to fulfil its assurances to constitutional courts that mining would not resume without credible systems in place.
The petition points out that the Department of Mines and Geology has “no staff worth the name to manage the activity” and lacks its own laboratory. In its absence, the department “meekly accepts what the leaseholders tell it in terms of both quantity and grade,” a practice the petition terms “completely unacceptable.”
The Goa Foundation has sought judicial intervention to enforce statutory mandates, implement judicial directives, and ensure state commitments
are honoured.
