The arrest of the Assistant Geologist of the mines department Ramnath Shetgaonkar, and the summoning of the former Principal Secretary Mines, Rajiv Yaduvanshi, a senior IAS officer, as part of the overall investigation being carried out on illegal mining, by the Goa SIT, has slowly – in mining parlance – penetrated to the core. Like in mining, where getting the ore is called “winning it” the Special Investigation Team, looks to be close to “winning” those who matter and bringing them under the ambit of investigation.
From the very beginning Herald, on behalf of the people of Goa has been advocating the need to get to those who were responsible for the governance of mining, in the crucial years between 2007 and 2012. Mining governance was reduced to the level of governance witnessed in a banana republic. There was free for all. Vested interests and lobbies virtually ran the mines department where everybody was either involved in or complicit in illegal mining.
From allowing illegal extraction to illegal transportation to condonation of delays in lease renewals, there was a total collapse of the mechanism of control and monitoring. In fact those responsible for exercising controls were hand in glove with those committing illegalities. So it is not just some of the burra sahibs of the industry but the burra babus of the government cocking a snook at their own government. And to make it worse, the sahibs and the babus were together, in this bed of illegality.
The arrested Ramnath Shetgaonkar, as we have reported, was involved in inspection of several sites in Goa where illegal extraction of iron ore in lakhs of metric tones was carried out.
According to SIT, he had also inspected the Korgao mining lease wherein politician Jitendra Deshprabhu is an accused and was recently chargesheeted in the case. SIT states that the officer had not only failed to inform the authorities about the illegal extraction of ore at Korgao, but also “failed to put criminal action into motion for theft of iron ore by individuals, firms etc at other leases”.
Importantly, if you see the trend in the investigations, it is clear that this charge of failing to put criminal action into motion for the theft or iron ore, is applicable to a host of mining officials reaching to the very top of governance.
Quoting from our own report based on information from SIT, Shetgaonkar was also dealing with the Amalia Figueiredo lease file where in by virtue of Power of Attorney, Imran Khan (another accused in the case) and brothers operated the mine illegally as proxy to an influential politician.
Now if that same influential politician happened to be a top decision making politician and other babus worked under his instructions, then can you expect mining governance to be professional? The mines department those days was a chained and caged parrot of political interests.
“As a public servant he failed to proceed with the legal action and allowed Khan and others to operate the mine illegally,” SIT SP Kartik Kashyap said adding that Shetgaonkar, while dealing with one more lease file, allowed one Rajesh Timblo to pay government dues prior to transfer of lease in his name.
The series of irregularities committed and allowed by officials, include wrong notings on compounding of offence and assessment of fines.
Therefore both the buck and the muck must stop at the door of the government of the day and officials of the mining department. The rot is coming home and its stinks.
