Team Herald
PANJIM: In a voluminous charge sheet filed before the District & Sessions Court, Margao on Thursday, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has held Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, mine owner Prafulla Hede and ex-officer of the Mines Department, A T D’Souza, accountable for losses to the State exchequer that resulted through illegal condonation of delay.
The 1,572-page charge sheet contains depositions of 40 witnesses as well as documentary evidence that indicate the massive illegality. Superintendent of Police Kartik Kashyap, who heads the SIT probing all mining-related scams, confirmed submitting the charge sheet against the three persons.
Besides the witnesses, SIT has also recorded statements of the three alleged accused for the offence. In the three-odd years of investigation, the three had moved the local court seeking anticipatory bail which was granted.
The case pertains to the alleged illegal condonation of the mining lease at Collem wherein Hede had claimed that condonation in renewal of the licence was granted by the Centre much before the amendment to the Minerals Concession Rules that gave such powers to the State Government.
On September 19, 2014, a first information report (FIR) was registered following a complaint filed by Mines & Geology Director Prasanna Acharya, in which he alleged that between 1988 and 2007 mining operations were carried out in TC (title of concession) no 30/1950 through the illegal condonation of delay given by a public servant/government official at that period, which was in violation of Section 19 of the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.
The complainant also mentioned that the mine operated illegally in violation of Section 4(1) (1-A) of the Act that caused loss to the government exchequer and illegal gains to mine operators. SIT’s probe reveals that the file for renewal and condonation of delay surfaced in 2005, which was granted in 2007 when Kamat was the CM.
