TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee examining illegal mining operations in the State, Friday asked the State government to keep the recent NOC given for export of Maharashtra ore through Goa in abeyance, pending foolproof measures for ascertaining that the ore has actually come from the neighbouring state.
It also asked for details on what basis the permission was given (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.
The committee said that future exports could only take place after the matter is thoroughly examined; proper investigation into the source of ore and details of the mechanism to ensure that the ore was from where it is supposed to be, had been completed.
Very interestingly the CEC seems to have indirectly raised a query as to why Maharashtra ore is exported through Goa, by requesting for details of the nearest port from which the export of iron ore from the Reddi Iron Ore Mines is feasible. Incidentally since there is a port in the heart of Reddi itself, it raises serious questions as to why this ore is shipped through Goa.
The State mines department had issued an NOC to a trading company ~ Prime Minerals ~ to export ore it claimed had been brought to Goa from Maharashtra and the export of that ore had begun a couple of days back through the Panjim port.
A letter was written to chief secretary B Vijayan, by CEC member secretary MK Jiwrajka “advising” the State government about halting the ore export and asking for immediate action “in view of the sensitivity of the matter…”
The communiqué says, “You are hereby advised that the permission(s) granted for export of Maharashtra origin iron ore is/are kept in abeyance till the matter is thoroughly examined and it is ensured that in the garb of export of Maharashtra origin iron ore, the Goa origin iron ore is not exported in violation of the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”
The state was also asked to furnish date-wise details of the iron ore brought from Reddi Iron Ore Mines, (from which Prime Minerals claims to have brought the ore to the state) as well as other ore of Maharashtra origin brought in for exports through Goa during the last two years “along with the details of the quantities exported and balance material.”
The CEC also wanted copies of the permissions granted by the concerned Maharashtra officer or officers who issued permits for transportation of iron ore to Goa and transit passes as well as and other supporting documents and “details of the officers who have verified that the iron ore for which the permission for export has now been granted, has physically been brought from Reddi Iron Ore Mines, Maharashtra and is not of Goa origin along with copies of the documents relied upon and the physical verification report(s).”
Simultaneously, the CEC has also written to the Maharashtra chief secretary asking for the same details.
“It is requested that the details of the iron ore permitted to be transported during the last two years from the said mining lease to Goa for export from Panjim’s minor port may please be provided to the CEC along with relevant documents to enable it to take necessary follow up action in the matter. It is also requested that the details of the nearest port from which the export of iron ore from the Reddi Iron Ore Mines is feasible/normally undertaken may please be provided,” again requesting that as the matter is sensitive, “… it is requested that an early action in the matter may please be taken.”
The CEC also inquired as to whether there was an effective monitoring system inplace in the State to ensure that “…in the garb of the iron ore brought from outside the State, the Goa origin iron ore is not exported…” and details of that monitoring system should be provided to it.
In the rather detailed letter, the committee has also asked for details of the nearest port from the Reddy Iron Ore Mines from which the export of iron ore is feasible or normally undertaken as well as the mode of transportation of iron ore from the mine to Goa.
The Forest Bench of the Supreme Court was also informed by the CEC that it had written to the two governments about the recent permissions granted by the Department of Mines and Geology for transport of ore from Maharashtra through Panjim port.
Govt, activists react
+ The director of mines, Prassana Acharya told media that he had not received any communication and so he could not react. “I have no idea,” he said.
+ “Prashant Bhushan, representing the Goa Foundation, asked for Supreme Court’s intervention in the matter. The Court asked the petitioner to file an application which it will take up on Monday January 21,” petitioner Claude Alvares of Goa Foundation said.
+ The chief secretary was contacted at around 7.55 pm but there was no response.
Earlier, speaking to a section of the media last week, the chief minister had said that more consignments would follow. “The government has already permitted one such consignment of ore from Maharashtra to be exported through Goa, and will permit more such consignments in the future,” said Parrikar. The Supreme Court direction is not a Power of Attorney to my government to freeze everything concerning mining in the state, especially as this direction speaks nothing of exports,” said Parrikar.
