Goa mining scam pegged at Rs.1,200 crore
August 27th, 2011 - 1:49 pm ICT by IANSPanaji, Aug 27 (IANS) The Goa assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Saturday pegged the quantum of illegal mining in the state at Rs.1,200 crore, a day after the Bombay High Court issued notice to 48 mining companies for excessive mining in their leases.
“More than 6 million tonne of ore has already been illegally extracted. It is worth Rs.1,200 crore,” a PAC member said, adding the committee was perusing the documents related to the scam.
The Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court, comprising Justices D.G. Karnik and F.M. Reis issued the notice on a public suit by green NGO Goa Foundation.
The NGO argued that the mining companies, which include the Dempo Mining Corporation, and local mining companies like Timblo Irmaos, V.M. Salgaoncar and Bros, Chowgule Co., “were extracting ore in violation of environment clearances limit granted to them” by the union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF).
The court also issued notice to the MoEF.
“The mining companies make self declarations of the amount of iron ore extracted and the mining department has no mechanism to verify the ore actually extracted,” the petitioner said.
Also on Friday, the Supreme Court extended the mining ban in the iron ore-rich Bellary to Tumkur and Chitradurga districts in Karnataka.
- '25 mn tonnes illegal ore extracted in five years in Goa' - Nov 23, 2011
- 40 mining companies in Goa issued notice - Apr 06, 2012
- Environment clearance process a farce: Goa PAC - Oct 06, 2011
- Goa to have wireless trackers on ore-laden trucks - Sep 19, 2011
- Iron ore export from Goa to dip next fiscal: Exporters body - Oct 04, 2011
- Ministry orders study on Goa's controversial mining - Aug 23, 2011
- Government pulls up 20 percent mines - Sep 18, 2011
- 182 mining leases in Goa near water bodies: Minister - Aug 02, 2010
- Supreme Court notice to government on Orissa project - Apr 21, 2011
- Goa mining scam: PAC report blames nexus, takes no names (Roundup) - Oct 05, 2011
- Goa mining scam: PAC mentions one politician, not Kamat - Oct 05, 2011
- Irregular, illegal mining same: Goa PAC - Oct 05, 2011
- 'Goa waterways cannot handle more iron ore traffic' - Apr 03, 2010
- Goa to frame new mining policy - Jul 30, 2010
- Goa mining scam: Shah probe to look at pre-Beijing Olympic demand boom - Sep 16, 2011
Tags: bellary, bombay high court, chowgule, crore, goa assembly, goa foundation, iron ore, karnik, mining companies, mining corporation, mining department, ministry of environment, ministry of environment and forest, moef, ngo, pac member, petitioner, public accounts committee, rs 1, union ministry