TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: After almost five months, the Goa government is finally set to file its affidavit in the illegal mining case before the Supreme Court on Saturday. The Court will now hear the case on February 15.
Director of Mines and Geology Prasanna Acharya said that the affidavit has been signed by Principal Secretary (Mines) RK Varma and will be filed in Supreme Court on Saturday.
The Supreme Court in an order on October 5, 2012, had suspended all mining operations in Goa, pending a report from its Central Empowered Committee (CEC). The order was passed in a petition filed by Goa Foundation, in the wake of Justice MB Shah Commission report on illegal mining in Goa.
As reported by HERALD earlier, the government in its affidavit while pleading for immediate resumption of legal mining would also place the economic and social impact of the mining ban on the State and the mining dependent people. The affidavit says that Goa government is ‘competent and willing’ to take all measures to have sustainable and environment-friendly mining in Goa.
It will also submit that “State government is committed and capable on its own to differentiate between legal and illegal mining and should be allowed to do so without any intervention”.
Meanwhile, the CEC has sought additional information from the State government over the complaint filed by Congress leader Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco over an NOC granted for the export of Maharashtra origin iron ore through Goa.
CEC member secretary MK Jiwrajka in a letter written to State Chief Secretary B Vijayan has said that the initial information provided by the government was not sufficient and hence additional information is required.
“During the hearing on January 21, Counsel for the State made a statement that the information sought by CEC will be provided immediately,” Jiwrajka has mentioned in his letter.
CEC had earlier called for details
on what basis the permission was granted (by providing supporting documents such as transit passes), which officers cleared it and who had physically verified that the ore had come from the Maharashtra mine, as claimed, and details of the nearest port from the Reddy Iron Ore Mines from which the export of iron ore is feasible or normally undertaken.
The CEC also wanted date-wise details of the iron ore brought from Reddy Iron Ore Mines, Maharashtra and other Maharashtra origin iron ore to Goa for exports during the last two years along with the details of the quantities exported and balance material; copies of the permissions granted by the concerned officer(s) of the State of Maharashtra for issue of permits for transportation of iron ore to Goa and the relevant transit passes and other supporting documents. It also wanted to know if there is an effective system of monitoring in Goa, to ensure that in the garb of the iron ore brought from outside the State, the Goa origin iron ore is not exported ~ details thereof; and mode of transportation of iron ore from Reddy Iron Ore Mines to Goa.
Last month the State mines department had issued an NOC to a trading company ~ Prime Minerals ~ to export 72,000 tones of ore, that it claimed had been brought to Goa from Maharashtra. The government move ran into controversy after environmentalists raised objection and same was brought to the notice of the CEC.
It was perceived that despite CEC’s directions to keep the NOC in abeyance, the ore was allowed to be exported by State government that had claimed that the Supreme Court order did not ban such export or transportation.
Currently, Supreme Court has directed government to file its say on the matter.
Meanwhile, the Government has decided that the Transport Department at Naibag Check Post,
Patradevi Check Post, Dodamarg Check Post, Polem Check Post and Mollem Check Post will also verify the documents connected with the transportation of mineral ore into and out of the State of Goa till the officials of the Directorate of Mines & Geology are posted at these check posts.
