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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Activists point fingers at Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in illegal mining case; Ally demands probe

Activists point fingers at Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in illegal mining case; Ally demands probe

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published Published on Sep 26, 2011   modified Modified on Sep 26, 2011

-The Economic Times

 

While attention has been riveted on illegal mining in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, thanks to the Supreme Court-ordered probe into the activities of key players, environmental activists and political parties have now turned their gaze to Congresscontrolled Goa.

The western coastal state, which has rich deposits of iron ore, has now turned alive with charges of a Rs 8,000-crore mining scam. Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat's role, which has invited the scrutiny of environmental crusaders and opposition parties alike, is under lens. They have alleged that Kamat - who has held the reins of the mining ministry for the last 11 years, regardless of the coalition which was pitch forked into power - colluded with illegal mining firms.

They said that Kamat turned a blind eye to virtual iron ore loot in the state, running into a whopping Rs 8,000 crore. "It is exactly similar to Bellary's situation. The chief minster is involved as he has been the minister of mines also for the last 11 years. The friends of the chief minister are involved because it is only happening on a friendship basis. Also, the forest department and the department of mines are involved," said activist Claud Alvares. The crusaders have cited certain glaring violations.

It is alleged that in 2006, Sesa Goa's three mines extracted 8 lakh tones of iron ore against the environmental clearance limit of 2 lakh tonnes annually. Similarly, VM Salgaocar & Brothers Pvt Ltd was permitted to extract 16.92 lakh tonnes from its four mines. But since 2006, the company has allegedly dug out nearly 27 lakh tonnes. Another company, VS Dempo, had permission to extract 11 lakh tonnes from its three mines, but it is alleged that it extracted over 20 lakh tonnes in 2008.

As many as 48 of the 92 mining companies, the green brigade pointed out, have flouted norms and over 90 lakh tonnes worth several hundred crore have been illegally mined in the last four years alone. In fact, the Goa Port, which is the country's largest exporter port of iron ore, had alerted the government of illegal export of at least five million tonnes from Panaji. The Mineral Ore Exporters Association also claimed that most of the exporters were not even registered, but the government did nothing.

The Congress, however, has rejected the charge of official complicity . "The situation in Goa is not as bad as Karnataka and Andhra ," state Congress chief Subhash Shirodkar said. The NCP, a partner of the Kamatled government in Goa, has, in fact, demanded a thorough probe against officials allegedly involved in the state mining scam. "The NCP is extremely concerned about the plunder of national wealth due to illegal mining, which is threatening the fabric of Goa. The entire mining department and its officials are involved. They should be probed thoroughly ," party general secretary Avinash Bhosle said on Friday.

The Economic Times, 26 September, 2011, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/activists-point-fingers-at-goa-chief-minister-digambar-kamat-in-illegal-mining-case-ally-demands-probe/


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