Over 300 residents of a South Goa village besieged the sub-divisional magistrate’s (SDM) office protesting apparently against the indiscriminate movement of trucks.
The villagers have been protesting for two days now, demanding to solve other issues before allowing transportation of ore .
They have also alleged that more than sanctioned ore was being illegally transported using political muscle. The village has a history of protests against iron ore mining.
The ore is being moved after it was sold through a Supreme Court allowed auction.
On Thursday, 34 people were arrested for blocking ore from being transported from the mining site to a river jetty.
Ravindra Velip, who led the protest, said that the way things were being handled it appeared that the scam was happening all over again.
“This is the beginning of the yet another mining scam. The mining companies are hiding behind the SC order which allows transportation of ore sold by e-auction and transporting ore in excess,” Velip said.
Villagers from Cavrem demanded the release of the arrested protesters and accused the police of high handedness.
“There’s no official from the State Government’s mines and geology department, on site to monitor the quantity of ore being transported as stipulated in Supreme Court guidelines vis-a-vis transportation of ore,” Velip said.
Velip, has also submitted a petition to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar seeking no ore be moved from there as he suspected a scam.
He also claimed that the ore was being transported by the brother of a senior BJP politician, also alleging that police had arrested 34 persons, including 10 women who were peacefully protesting against suspected theft of ore. It also requests prevention of “any transportation of ore anywhere in the State unless all necessary monitoring and checking measures are put in place”.