TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Mines has asked the Justice M B Shah Commission probing the illegal mining in seven states to wind up by October 16 as it has already been given two extensions in July 2012 and 2013 and cannot be allowed to go on forever.
The Commission, which gave the mine owners a tough time in its investigations over the last few years, is now preparing an “elementary” report, based on preliminary findings, on three of the seven states listed in its terms of reference that it could not probe thoroughly. These states are Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
Appointed in 2010 to complete the investigations into the illegalities in mining, the Commission could carry out probe into the mining irregularities in Karnataka, Goa, Orissa and Jharkhand.
The govt’s decision to wind up the Commission comes at a time when the SC is hearing the Goa mining case after it imposed a ban on the iron ore mining in the State on the basis of one Shah panel report and made it clear that panel’s findings are important and will not be ignored, even as mining firms argued against it, in Court this week.
