With Goa’s fabled beaches emptied by a nationwide lockdown to fight the coronavirus, the Indian state is about to witness an epic battle at the heart of the trade-off between reviving the economy and protecting the environment.
On April 21, India’s Supreme Court is scheduled to begin hearing a plea by billionaire Anil Agarwal’s commodities giant Vedanta to restart iron-ore mining in the nation’s smallest state, known for its palm-fringed beaches and 16th century Portuguese churches. The move has the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which was concerned about an economic slump in Goa even before the virus. Pramod Sawant, the state’s chief minister and a member of Modi’s party, has made resumption of mining his policy priority.