Goa Chief Minister Pramod
Sawant on Monday said the crucial three 'M's -- Mining,
Mopa and Mhadei -- will remain priority issues for the
state government.Speaking to reporters in Panaji,
Sawant also said that he had referred about the issue of lifting of the
mining ban in Goa, in the meeting of all Chief Ministers at the Niti Aayog on Saturday, which was chaired by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "At Niti Aayog, I have specially raised the issue and the Prime Minister in his speech has also made a specific reference to Goa mining
. We will come to a conclusion and resolve the issue, I am confident. We have to do it because many jobs have been lost," Sawant
told reporters.
Mining
in Goa
has been banned by a Supreme Court
order last year. In his Lok Sabha election campaign Modi had said that the National Democratic Alliance
government would look a judicially viable route to restart mining in Goa.
Sawant also said that finishing the upcoming Mopa
International Airport located in North Goa's Pernem sub-district was also a priority for his government. The greenfield airport is expected to handle 30 million passenger traffic when it is fully operational. The first phase of the airport is expected to be completed in 2020.
Sawant's third 'M' refers to the Mhadei river, also known as the Mandovi in certain parts of Goa, the waters of which, are the cause of a prolonged dispute between Goa, Karnataka
and Maharashtra
. Sawant said that fully resolving the issue remains a priority for his government.