From the time that he was the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee probing into cases of rampant illegal mining, Manohar Parrikar has been on the threshold of ensuring that the perpetrators of illegal mining are brought to book. But  that still appears a long way away. During his tenure as CM  from 2012 to 2014, and then during his successor  Parsekar’s time, the wheels of government quite clearly, didn’t move quickly enough be within shaking distance of those allegedly running from the law.

Therefore, as the SIT has upped the ante and started intense questioning on one of the now 13 cases, on illegal mining, people’s belief in the intent (and ability) of the government to crack the case and buttress the findings of the M B Shah Commission report, is on test now. And this is a serious and a very strong test. This is indeed a test paper on the government's zero-tolerance to corruption mantra, based on which it came to power in 2012.

This is what Chief Minister Parrikar had said in 2012 after taking over as CM. “All Congress leaders from former chief minister Digambar (Kamat) to former minister Joaquim (Alemao) are involved in illegal mining...all will be booked and put behind the bars soon,”

Justice M B Shah Commission, in its voluminous report, which has formed the basis of many of the cases pending before SIT, (with the root of other cases being  hitherto probed by the Lokayukta and Anti-Corruption Bureau) stated that the former CM (Digambar Kamat), mines secretary (Rajeev Yaduvanshi) and then mines director Arvind Lolienkar were primarily responsible in allowing the large-scale illegal mining to continue despite being aware of the extent of illegalities between the period 2006-2011. 

The Commission report underlined "It is amply clear that the Hon'ble Minister of Mines and Hon'ble Chief Minister were well aware about non-compliance of conditions and other illegalities/irregularities happening in the mining sector," Shah said. Digambar Kamat was Chief Minister then. He was also the mines minister from 2000 to 2012.

The report also says files moved at the time, suggested that two officials were directly in the path of complicity in the illegal mining controversy.

However, from the Lokayukta to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, no agency managed to take their own investigations to their logical conclusion. The onus therefore lies on the all important SIT.

Initially, the State Vigilance Department based on a complaint filed in 2011 by activist Sudip Tamhankar, filed an FIR naming former Chief Ministers Digambar Kamat and Pratapsing Rane from the Congress, senior NCP leader Prafulla Hede, former mines minister Somnath Zuwarkar, former Goa mines directors Arvind Lolienkar and J B Bhingi, former chief conservator of Forests Shashi Kumar and three Goa Mines.

As far as the Lokayukta is concerned, the government’s delay or lack of interest to provide a clarification sought on the illegal mining complaint, as directed by it, left the Lokayukta with no choice but to claim the illegal mining case was not before them at present.

The Goa Police SIT formed in 2013 to probe illegal mining has filed as many as 16 cases (subsequently whittled down to 13) based on complaints it has received and the perusal of the Shah Commission report and had even summoned former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and other notable mining company magnates.

The need to get to the bottom of the illegal mining cases is very simple. Public money has been lost and looted. This needs to be got back. Even for arguments sake, if one discounts the amount of Rs 35,000 crores as the cumulative loss, estimated in back of the book calculations endorsed by the party (which leads the Goa government now) put down the losses at Rs 10,000 crore in the last five years.

Rs 10,000 crores is the loss figure accepted, it is still a massive amount of money. Simply put, it can wipe of almost the entire debt of the state pegged at Rs 12,000 crores.

Therefore, the need to close this case goes beyond investigating or even arresting senior political figures. Recovering the money lost to illegal mining is non-negotiable, in order to revive our struggling economy.