PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the State government to provide police protection for the transportation of iron ore bought by Sesa Resources Limited through a recent e-auction. The ore is being moved from Pale in Bicholim to the Amona jetty.
The direction was issued while hearing a petition filed by the company, which told the Court that transportation of the ore had been blocked for over a month by villagers and labourers who were earlier employed by Sesa under a mining lease that has since expired.
In its petition, the company stated that villagers and former workers had allegedly obstructed trucks carrying the ore and staged protests along the route from the mining site to the jetty. The agitation had reportedly intensified, with roads being blocked and transportation activities disrupted.
Taking note of these submissions, the High Court directed the Goa government and police to provide adequate protection to ensure that ore transportation continues without interruption and that law and order is maintained. However, the Court observed that since the police deployment was being sought by a private company for commercial purposes, the company would have to bear the cost of the service.
The High Court further directed the State to recover charges from the company as per the rates fixed under the 2017 government notification on police deployment for private purposes, along with an additional 25 per cent fee.
