TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Congress spokesman Sudip Tamhankar, alleged that despite Supreme Court ban on mining activities in the State, there was illegal iron ore transportation going on in the mining belt.
Speaking on the sidelines of a press conference on Saturday, he also alleged that irresponsible decisions of government had worsened the mining mess.
“Government formulated a committee headed by Chief Secretary to look into the mines and their legality. When Supreme Court has already asked Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to look into it, what is point in having a State committee?” Tamhankar questioned.
Congress spokesman also claimed to have filed an intervention petition before the Supreme Court in the illegal mining case. “I will be raising up all this illegality in my intervention petition and before CEC,” he said. Seeking to buttress his point Tamhankar pointed to the government decision of granting NOC for the export of Maharashtra origin iron through Goa.
Tamankar alleged that ‘it was not ore from Reddi mines in Maharashtra but local ore…. and government violated the Apex court order’.
He also argued that ‘the way government is handling the (mining) issue, it is difficult to say whether mining will resume at the earliest’.
