History of Mining in Goa – The Goenchi Mati Movement
The first mining manifest was given in 1905 to Aly Ismail Mirsa Bagdad, a Turk from Constantinople, to mine at Domingod-Molem near Colem. In 1910, a French company, Compagnie de Mines de Fer de Goa, made plans to extract manganese ore from the Bicholim area, and transport it by rail through Sanquelim, Ponda, Raia and Loutolim to Margao.