Activists condemn mining workers' threat to disrupt Gawas' family wedding

GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 02 December 2013 19:29 IST

Delegation of activists to Bicholim Dy Collector in support of Ramesh Gawas

People of Bicholim and social activists from other parts of Goa have demanded protection to the family of Ramesh Gawas, who has been fighting illegal mining, as section of workers have threatened to disrupt the wedding of Gawas’ son on 8 November.

Few hundreds of workers, especially from Sesa Goa, last week marched to the Bicholim house of Gawas, alleging that he had cut a tree behind his house illegally.

While calling him names and shouting slogans against Gawas, the workers also threatened to disrupt the wedding ceremony of his son, scheduled on Sunday.

Inquiries revealed that neither the property belongs to Gawas nor the tree was cut illegally, but with due intimation to the concerned authorities, within the framework of law.

The workers were demanding immediate arrest of Gawas, who has been fighting a lone battle against illegal mining while exposing especially the issue of water table that has been disrupted due to reckless mining.

Angered with this attack by the section of workers, people of Bicholim and social activists from different parts of Goa today marched to the Bicholim Deputy Collector Dipak Naik as well as the police station.

While condemning ‘personal attack’ by the mining workers on Gawas and his family, the delegation demanded that Gawas be given police protection.

Naresh Kadkade, the Bicholim citizen, reminded about a similar kind of attacks on Dr Narendra Dabholkar, who was fighting against superstition, which ultimately led to his killing.

It is shameful that the workers are taking law in their hands while the whole state knows who were responsible for stoppage of mining activities in Goa.

“It is the illegal mining carried out by the mine owners without bothering about the ecological balance that has led to the stoppage of mining activity. The environmentalists have only pointed out the illegalities”, observed Rajendra Kerkar, a local environmentalist.

He also pointed out that neither Gawas nor any Goan has opposed legal mining, within the framework of the law and also expressed sympathy to those who have been rendered jobless due to the illegal mining.

Shrikant Barve, secretary of Goa RTI Forum, said Gawas would have been protected today if the Whistlblowers’ Act was passed by the Parliament.

He also said that it is the responsibility of the state government, in the absence of the whistlblowers’ act, to provide protection to the selfless activists like Gawas.

The delegation was led by social activists Jawahar Barve and Dr Rupesh Patkar. 


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Go ahead with solidarity

- Ashok Shrimali, Ahmedabad | 02 nd December 2013 22:43

 

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