TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Goa police, which is investigating the massive mining scam involving former ministers, several suspended mines officials and others, have sought additional documents from the Directorate of Mines & Geology.
“We are in the process of collecting more documents and scrutinizing it. Each case is different and it needs to be thoroughly examined,” Deputy Inspector General of Police K K Vyas, who heads the five member team, said declining to divulge further details.
The team has meanwhile already begun scrutinizing documents and crucial findings by Supreme Court’s CEC, Justice MB Shah Commission and Goa Legislative Assembly’s PAC which bolstered claims about illegal mining in Goa. These reports were submitted along with complaint filed by Mines Director Prasanna Acharya before the Crime Branch in July this year. The government subsequently formed SIT and handed over the case from CB for thorough probe.
The reports have named several politicians officials of Mines department, Indian Mines Bureau, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, as being allegedly responsible for allowing illegal mining.
Sources in the mines department confirmed that SIT has indeed sought to produce more information related to some mining companies, payment of royalties among others.
“We will submit the documents to the SIT soon. The department (Mines) is fully cooperating with the probe,” said an official. The SIT has reportedly questioned a few suspended mines officials; there is, however, no official confirming on this.
