It’s three years since the Justice Shah Commission report on illegal mining was tabled in Parliament. It’s also three years since the State government summarily put a stop to mining in the State reacting to the Shah Commission report. It has also been three years since Goa realised that the loss to the State exchequer due to illegal mining runs into thousands of crores, a figure unimaginable by the common man. It’s been three long years since Goa became aware that ore was indeed being illegally mined in the State and there was complicity of politicians, bureaucrats and mining honchos in the scam. Yet, besides beginning schemes to benefit those whose businesses were affected by the ban in mining, there has been little done to bring those involved in the illegalities to book in these three years.
The then chief minister, Manohar Parrikar, had said on a national television channel that no one would be spared and that while in some cases it would be financial penalties in other cases it would be criminal conspiracy cases that would be filed against them. Three years later, neither has happened. For three years later, what the government has done is green signal the start of mining operations in the State, rather than first clear the path for the prosecution of those involved in the illegal mining. If anyone is wondering why this has been so, then there’s a simple reason to this and the reason is politics.
If you look at the situation the way the government sees it, then the number of those who have been adversely hit by the ban on mining is far greater than the number of those people who will shed a tear for the damage to the environment caused by illegal mining or the loss to the exchequer. Few will be bothered about the government treasury being looted, and fewer still would want to do something about it. The government is very aware that the anger of those who have been rendered jobless by the ban on mining operations can turn into a negative vote for the party. It is also assured that by not taking action against those indicted by the Shah Commission report it does not anger any vast constituency. Besides, how does the government take action against some of the very companies that contributed to the party funds? But in doing nothing, and that is what this government has done where legal action against those involved in illegal mining is concerned, justice has not been served.
There was an illegality committed. A commission headed by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court detailed this in a report. Former chief ministers were indicted in this report, but in acting against the politicians, the government would also have to act against the industry and that it could not possibly do. The report led to the closure of mining operations in the State. Yet, the perpetrators of this crime, for a crime it is as national wealth has been looted, are still far from being charged by the law enforcement agencies.
Even on the day the Shah Commission report was tabled in Parliament it was obvious that the Goa government would not be willing to clean up the industry. The Justice Shah Commission report itself pointed at how powerful the industry was when mentioned about hired persons brought to a public meeting that ‘leads one to believe that democracy is misused’.
As Goa awaits the resumption of mining, it also waits in the hope that those who mined illegally and those who facilitated the illegality will be brought to book. The State still hopes that the former will happen in the coming month, while it says little about the latter, hoping that in the chatter generated about the recommencement of mining operations, the people will forget why mining was stopped.
