India: Villagers and their temple deity object to mines auctioned in Goa's Bicholim

Three companies that made winning bids for iron ore mines in North Goa, including Vedanta, now face a legal challenge from villagers in Sirigao. A batch of petitions has challenged the Government's move to auction mining blocks I, II and III in Bicholim taluka on grounds that the lease area includes temples, schools and other commonly-held assets.

Leading the petitions is the principal deity of Shri Devi Lairai Temple, represented by the president of the temple trust. The villagers claim they are only now finding out that the mining block areas include 17 temples, schools, fields and houses, the older leases having been granted by the Portuguese through a manifest that did not include any survey numbers. The state, a respondent in the matter, is accused of not applying its mind auctioning these blocks.

The petition seeks a stay until its temples and schools are excluded and the environment, damaged from more than 50 years of mining, is rehabilitated. The division bench of the Bombay High Court which is hearing the matter has issued notices to the three successful bidders, Vedanta Ltd, Salgaocar Shipping Co Pvt Ltd, and Rajaram Bandekar Mines Pvt Ltd.

Vedanta's application for Environment Clearance for annual production of 3mt (that would generate waste of more than 25 million tonnes annually) faces the same challenges. Last month, noting the "close to the proximity of the habitations, school, forest (Mayem common boundary), river, temples, caves and for", the Environmental Assessment Committee had decided to send a sub-committee for a ground visit. It also wanted the company to submit a letter from the Department of Geology and Mining, Government of Goa clarifying whether any illegal mining had been carried out within the mine lease area, and if it had then whether Vedanta Limited was responsible for the same.