Team Herald
PANJIM: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing illegal mining has stated that charge sheets have been filed in five cases, investigations in two cases have been closed and three cases have been transferred back to the respective police stations. Six cases are at different stages of investigation.
The status report prepared by SIT chief K K Vyas was submitted to Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Monday at the meeting to review the investigations.
“We are following due legal procedure to investigate the cases. Five cases are charge sheeted while remaining will be charge sheeted shortly,” Vyas told Herald. The officer, who will be relieved from Goa Police on August 31, had met Parsekar to update the chief minister on the progress of the investigation.
Former chief ministers – Pratapsingh Rane and Digambar Kamat – found themselves in the dock as the Justice Shah Commission report had indirectly indicted them of abusing their power to allow uncontrolled illegal mining by individual and top mining companies. The Mines and Geology Department filed a series of complaints alleging illegalities and irregularities between 2006 and 2012, supported by Justice Shah Commission, PAC and Supreme Court’s CEC reports. However, no FIR had named any person as an accused.
The SIT had filed ‘C summary’ in the two cases, which were previously registered by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) taking cognizance of complaints filed by social activist Sudip Tamhankar. “As per the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act, the department is the only legal authority whose complaints can be accepted. We followed the rule which is why complaints filed by the activist are closed,” he said.
Tamhankar had named the two former CMs, politician Prafulla Hede and other mines officials in his complaints, which were subsequently transferred to SIT. During the same period, the Mines Department filed a similar complaint but without naming the politicians.
The investigation saw arrests of 15 persons including suspended mines director Arvind Lolienkar, draftsman Robert Gonsalves, directors and officials of mining companies among others.
However, except for ex-Congress leader Jitendra Deshprabhu, no other politician has faced legal action so far.
The SIT, formed on August 26, 2013 had initially investigated 16 cases of which six were registered while the remaining FIRs were transferred from various police stations.
