Goa mining scam: Shah probe to look at pre-Beijing Olympic demand boom
September 16th, 2011 - 4:59 pm ICT by IANSPanaji, Sep 16 (IANS) A nine-member commission led by retired Supreme Court judge M.B. Shah will probe Goa’s mining scam with a special eye to illegal extraction of iron ore amid the sharp increase in demand before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
A commission member said here Friday that Goa’s mining scenario changed in the run-up to the Olympics, given the building infrastructure needs of China, and iron ore export from Goa shot up from 18 million tonnes in 2000-2001 to 33 million tonnes in 2008.
“The commission will probe irregularities in the mining sector right from its inception,” commission member U.V. Singh said. “But special consideration will be given to events during the China boom, when iron ore was in great demand due to infrastructure needs.”
Shah is conducting field visits to mining sites that have been in controversy over illegal extraction.
Export of iron ore reached a high of 55 million tonnes last year, a three-fold increase in a decade, according to the Goa Mineral Ores Exporters Association.
The public accounts committee (PAC) of the Goa assembly has already indicated at a mining scam in the making by pointing out that 7.7 million tonnes of iron ore were not accounted for last year.
- Iron ore export eating away resources: Justice Shah - Sep 17, 2011
- Goa ore exporters do not want CBI to probe illegal mining - Oct 04, 2011
- Shah Commission begins probing Goa illegal mining - Sep 14, 2011
- Iron ore export from Goa to dip next fiscal: Exporters body - Oct 04, 2011
- Goa to have wireless trackers on ore-laden trucks - Sep 19, 2011
- Goa mining scam worth Rs.10,000 crore: Congress legislator - Sep 17, 2011
- Irregular, illegal mining same: Goa PAC - Oct 05, 2011
- Justice Shah calls for public rejection of illegal mining - Sep 18, 2011
- 40 mining companies in Goa issued notice - Apr 06, 2012
- Justice Shah panel to probe illegal mining in Orissa - Oct 21, 2011
- Leakage of Goa mining report to be raised in parliament - Nov 21, 2011
- Goa house panel wants CBI to probe illegal mining - Oct 05, 2011
- Goa cancels 450 iron ore trading licenses - Apr 04, 2012
- Mining association admits to illegal exports from Goa - Nov 21, 2011
- Iron ore barge owners want cap on vessels - Nov 11, 2011
Tags: 2008 beijing olympics, boom, commission member, controversy, decade, exporters association, extraction of iron, extraction of iron ore, goa assembly, inception, infrastructure, irregularities, member commission, mineral ores, olympic, olympics, pac, public accounts committee, supreme court judge, tonnes