PANJIM: Even as the files on the Lokayukta case have reached Vigilance Department before being handed over to the Lokayukta probably on Monday, a day after the government filed a complaint with the Crime Branch, the affidavit filed by Goa Foundation ~ ironically on the same day ~ alleges that nothing has been done with regard to the very same issue.
According to the documents accessed by Herald the affidavit has been verified in Mapusa on July 18. The petitioner Goa Foundation director Dr Claude Alvares confirmed that the affidavit was filed on Friday.
The affidavit alleges: “There has been no progress whatsoever with regard to prosecutions of politicians, bureaucrats and mining companies that were involved in illegal mining and excess production. No FIR has been lodged till date, despite the present government being firmly in charge for more than one year.
The affidavit adds, speaking about a related issue: “However, recently there have been orders of the High Court and this Hon’ble Court in this regard. By its order dated 22.3.2013, the Bombay High Court directed filing of FIRs against all persons named in the Justice Shah Commission report within a period of six weeks of the order. However, the order dated 22.3.2013 was stayed by a Bench of this Hon’ble Court headed by the CJI by order dated 30.4.2013. Similar stay has been granted on 8.7.2003 in the SLPs subsequently filed by other mining companies for identical relief. This petitioner has not been heard in that matter nor given notice by the appellants.
“Similarly, no actions have been initiated as yet by the Goa government to recover the revenues lost due to excess mining and illegal mining even as per the State government’s own reduced estimates,” the affidavit states.
