BJP betrayed thousands of mining workers: Goa Congress

Panaji, Nov 8 (IANS) State Congress president Girish Chodankar on Thursday accused the ruling BJP of cheating several thousand mine workers and others linked to ancillary businesses, amid reports of Centres' refusal to bring about an ordinance to circumvent a Supreme Court-imposed ban on mining in the coastal state.

"With its own majority, the BJP government at the Centre turning down the demand from Goa mining dependents for resumption of mining activity through an ordinance, it has become clear that the BJP in Goa was fooling them," Chodankar said in a statement.

Mining in Goa was banned in February this year by the apex court, faulting the state government for irregularities in granting second renewals of 88 mining leases, while also directing the state government to allot the mining leases afresh.

Faced with demands for immediate resumption of mining from those depending on the industry, leaders of the BJP-led coalition government have been repeatedly assuring them, that an ordinance to circumvent the Supreme Court order was being worked on by the Centre, which would facilitate easy and quick resumption of the industry.