CM operating in collusion with mining lobby: NGO to PM

PANJIM: NGO Goa Foundation has approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing Chief Minister Pramod Sawant of failing to recover a whopping amount from the mining operators despite illegal mining in the past many years have caused a loss to the State exchequer of several crores. 

The complaint also alleged that Sawant is operating in collusion with the mining lobby to ensure defeat of auction of mining leases in the State.

A six-page-complaint to Prime Minister has comprehensively mentioned about the non-recovery of Rs 3431.31 crore due from mining companies despite a report of the team of Chartered Accounts and the report of the CAG 2016 indicating the massive loss. The figure is based on the demand notices sent by the Goa government to miners in 2016 and 2017 years.

”The action of recovery of this huge amount has been put off from time-to-time on specious grounds,” NGO Director Claude Alvares alleged.

The complainant submitted that the Department of Mines & Geology issued several show cause notices to former mining lease holders for recovery of various sums as per the report of the team of Chartered Accountants submitted in 2016.

The team was set up by then Chief Minister late Manohar Parrikar, as dues for excessive extraction were in violation of environment norms, following which the Department issued several demand notices in 2017 for recovery of various sums under various heads as per the report of the Auditor General, Goa, in 2016.

Alvares stated that when the Supreme Court delivered its judgement cancelling the grant of second renewal to 88 mining leases by the Goa government, it issued a specific direction for expeditious recovery of these amounts for which demand notices had been issued.

The letter cited the judgement which read as “The State of Goa will take all necessary steps to expedite recovery of the amounts said to be due from the mining lease holders pursuant to the show cause notices issued to them and pursuant to other reports available with the State of Goa including the report of Special Investigation Team and the team of Chartered Accountants.”

Terming the government’s move as scandalous, the complaint alleged that till date, government has recovered only a tiny sum of Rs 3.99 crore. “As you know, the State of Goa is bankrupt and Government of Goa is regularly issuing security bonds for raising money for salaries. It goes without saying that if the sum of Rs 3431.31 crore is recovered, many of the financial problems facing the State would find relief. Instead, the Goa government is getting ready to raid the three funds of the District Mineral Foundation for removal of approximately Rs 60 crore,” Alvares said.

He alleged that despite repeated demands to recover the amount from the mining operators, the Chief Minister is turning a blind eye.

The complaint letter also elaborated on another issue related to the restarting of mining operations in the State and the specific role of CM Sawant in ensuring the resumption does not happen as per the requirements of law introduced by the Central government when it amended the MMDR Act in 2015.

“The absolute onus for non-start of mining operations in Goa lies on Sawant’s shoulders, and not on those of the Central Government. Despite clear directions provided in three judgements from three different benches of the Supreme Court, Dr Sawant has successfully stalled the process of mineral lease auctions by lobbying for the former mining leaseholders,” Alvares said.

“Sawant’s actions have promoted precisely the reverse as far as the Goa mining industry is concerned. They, in fact, violate the BJP’s 2014 manifesto which promised natural resource and minerals allocation through public auction,” he added.

The complaint also mentioned that Supreme Court by a detailed judgement dated April 21, 2014 explicitly directed the Goa government to issue fresh mining leases and obtain fresh environment clearances for them, as all existing leases had expired on November 22, 2007 and that all mining thereafter was illegal. He stated that Goa had no option in these circumstances, but to go for auction. A second bench of the Supreme Court, by its judgment in February 2018 interpreted and endorsed the April 2014 judgment and directed the government to restart mining as soon as possible as per directions of the first judgment.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court of India, in its third judgment made it clear that except for one direction in the second judgement which it modified, the specific directions to grant fresh leases and fresh environment clearances would have to be strictly implemented. “The first Supreme Court judgment was passed in 2014, the second in 2018, the third in January 2020. Six years have passed by since the Supreme Court directed the state of Goa to start mining on a clean slate, but till today the Government of Goa, fully in league with influential and wholly corrupt private mining companies and former lease holders, has steadfastly refused to implement these directions. This is truly a scandalous situation and requires investigation,” Alvares demanded.

The complaint also pointed to a detailed report by Goa Lokayukta, in January 2020 recommending Goa government to register an FIR against the three persons from government responsible for approving the second renewal of 88 mining leases. These included former CM Laxmikant Parsekar; then Secretary (Mines) Pawan Kumar Sain and then Director, Department of Mines & Geology, Prasanna Acharya. “Sawant, however, has for reasons best known to him, decided to protect the two government officials involved, and not to prosecute the indicted persons,” he alleged.