Goencho Avaaz (GA) and Goa Bachoa Abhiyan (GBA) on strongly condemned the attack by GMPF president Puti Gaonkar’s instigating attack on Claude Alvares of Goa Foundation.
In press note issued here, Goencho Avaaz said “The personal attack, even while the matter is before the Supreme Court, will not help the cause of the mining dependents in any manner. It is pertinent to recall that it was not Claude Alvares who stopped the mining industry, but the late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar who had publicly claimed credit for stopping the mining operations and used the same to ride on public sentiments and win the elections in 2012,” they said.
Goencho Avaaz further said that the Supreme Court would have never stopped the Mining if it had been done following the laws of the land. Instead, large scale loot of Goan resources took place (Rs. 35,000 crores), and the government as well as the public were cheated of major revenues, and as a result today the state is bankrupt and has no money.
“In such situations, it is offensive to promote the interests of the mining lobby which Puti Gaonkar is doing, knowingly or unknowingly. He should avoid playing into the hands of the two or three mining companies who stand to benefit from such illegalities,” he says.
Meanwhile, the GBA termed the attack as intimidating tactics and personal attacks against Claude Alvares of Goa Foundation who has exposed the extent of fraud and illegal mining in Goa, the facts on which the Supreme Court has acted upon and stopped pending clean up of systems.
“Such massive fraud and illegalities are a crime against the people of Goa and the State as well as the Union of India. With this background, we are aghast that the State Government can sit back and allow such public instigation of violence to continue against a person who has dutifully upheld the law” the GBA said.
The GBA said that the attacks on Claude in this case amounts to an attack on the laws of India and the Supreme Court; and should not be tolerated.
“What we see is diversionary tactics, with the Goa Mining Peoples Front allowing themselves to be used as pawns by a select few illegal mining interests instead of using their energies constructively. They could have benefitted from the recovery of thousands of crores from the large scale illegal mining loot, a sum the government has yet to recover, why is this not their agenda for a better tomorrow?” The release says