PANJIM, JAN 18
The Mines Department has asked former Pernem legislator and Nationalist Congress Party leader Jitendra Deshprabhu to pay a fine of Rs 1.72 crore for illegally extracting iron ore at Corgao village in the taluka.
Senior officials said that the department after inspection in survey number 299/0 of Corgao village, had found that the work of loading mineral ore in trucks was being done during night time with the help of two wheeler loaders.
Senior Technical Assistant Hector Fernandes in his notice to Deshprabhu has said that approximately 15,000 metric tonnes of iron ore was lying at the site .
A site visit and inspection by geologists had calculated that total 52,360 metric tones of ore was extracted from the site.
A notice has been issued to Jitendra Deshprabhu under Section 4 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, 1957.
Officials said that Deshprabhu was issued notice last month and proceedings through mamlatdar have already begun against him.
He was totally fined Rs 1,72,26,600 and a compounding charge of Rs 25,000.
“Usually, the value of the mineral to be recovered is 10 times that of the royalty,” a senior officer said adding that the value was decided considering that 30 per cent of the ore could be rejects.
As the ore found at the site was less than 60 degree Fe, a royalty of Rs 120 per tonne was imposed on it.
The department which conducted a thorough investigation has found that the property was recorded in the name of Raghuraj Vassudev Deshprabhu and Public Works Department, Panjim.
The department was criticized for paying blind eye towards illegal mining by politically influential Deshprabhu, by the opposition in the State legislative assembly.
The document which is available with Herald reveals that the department had issued show cause notice to Deshprabhu on August 31, 2010.
Accordingly, the reply was also filed by Deshprabhu which was not considered by the government.
The department had said that the driver of the intercepted truck revealed that mining activity was being undertaken at Deshprabhu’s behest.
A contractor named Ritesh Naik from Ponda was also involved in the trade along with Deshprabhu.
