Activists: Deshprabhu, officials charged for graft

Activists: Deshprabhu, officials charged for graft 
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, FEB 13
A group of civic society activists today claimed that Goa police have charged Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) national secretary Jitendra Deshprabhu and other State department officials with corruption offences in the illegal mining scam.
It may be recalled that Deshprabhu was fined Rs 1.72 crore for illegal mining of iron ore in Goa, according to documents sourced from the state mining department.
Activists Pradeep Kakodkar, Kashinath Shetye and Ketan Govekar on Sunday filed a complaint with the Panjim police station alleging that the NCP legislator and others cheated the State Government of Rs 50 crore.
“The case is already registered against Deshprabhu and others named in the complaint letter,” Shetye told Herald.
Deshprabhu had claimed that while the land where illegal mining was being carried out was owned by him, he was not behind the mining operations.
Mining department documents, however, showed that Deshprabhu, whose family was once appointed by the colonial Portuguese to collect revenue taxes, owns huge tracts of land in the Pernem sub district, has extracted nearly 15,000 tonnes of iron ore and dumped it in his adjoining property in survey number 299/0 of the Korgao village panchayat.
“More than 50,000 tonnes has already been extracted if one assesses the depth and the extent of depth the pit has reached,” a site inspection report of the state mining department drafted by technical assistant Hector Fernandes stated.
Based on Fernandes’ report, Deshprabhu was issued notices under section four of the mines and minerals development and regulation act 1957 in December last year.
Mining department officials also said the son of a senior cabinet minister had been contracted to extract the iron ore from the mining pit.
The complaint letter has also named Director of Industries and Mines, Director of Transport, Chariman of Goa State Pollution Control Board, Chief Conservator of Forest department and other officials from the respective departments and Korgao village panchayat of being involved in the illegal mining scam.