Truth will prevail: Kamat
October 5th, 2011 - 8:26 pm ICT by IANSPanaji, Oct 5 (IANS) Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat said that “truth will prevail” in the state’s Rs.3,500 crore illegal mining scam, in which his role as mining minister has come under scrutiny.
Speaking in the assembly hours after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on illegal mining was submitted to Speaker Pratapsing Rane Wednesday by panel chairman and Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar, Kamat also said that the mining department alone should not be held responsible for illegal mining.
“Ultimately truth will prevail because there are records to support the truth,” a defiant Kamat told the house.
“There are five government agencies which regulate mining. The mines department, the ministry of environment and forests, the Indian Bureau of Mines, director general mines safety and the pollution control board. Each agency is supposed to take action if their laws are violated,” Kamat said.
While Kamat has not been directly named in the PAC report, Parrikar made an oblique reference to the chief minister as far as the illegal mining scam was concerned.
“Does the chief minister not want to change situation in mines department at all? He does not want to punish anyone guilty? Any third person would take inference that he (Kamat) is involved,” Parrikar said in the house.
While Parrikar has claimed that the PAC report is based on observations made by the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) in its report, Congress legislators, who were also members of the PAC, have said that it is a witch-hunt against the government.
“This is a political witch hunt of the worst kind,” Congress legislator Agnelo Fernandes said about the report.
- Goa mining scam: PAC report blames nexus, takes no names (Roundup) - Oct 05, 2011
- Mining scam rocks Goa politics - Oct 08, 2011
- Speaker drops Parrikar from public accounts committee - Oct 07, 2011
- BJP to release own report on Goa's illegal mining - Oct 08, 2011
- Will sue BJP leaders over mining charge: Goa minister - Oct 10, 2011
- Goa speaker biased: Parrikar - Oct 08, 2011
- Goa mining scam: PAC mentions one politician, not Kamat - Oct 05, 2011
- Congress MLA walked away with draft PAC report on mining: BJP - Oct 04, 2011
- Goa speaker wants crack-down on illegal mining - Oct 07, 2011
- Google Earth helped track illegal mining in Goa - Oct 06, 2011
- Our report to bare roots of Goa's illegal mining: BJP - Oct 30, 2011
- BJP fielding candidates of mining lobby: Kamat - Feb 26, 2012
- Lokayukta to probe sensitive cases after appointment: Parrikar - Apr 30, 2012
- Is Parrikar going soft on ruling Goa Congress? (News Analysis) - Feb 24, 2011
- Goa PAC report could hit officials, mining companies - Oct 03, 2011
Tags: cag, chief minister, comptroller, indian bureau of mines, inference, leader of opposition, legislator, mines department, mining department, ministry of environment, ministry of environment and forests, oblique reference, oct 5, pac report, panel chairman, pollution control board, public accounts committee, rane, third person, witch hunt