Goa illegal mining: Kamat holds discussion with Shah Commission

Clarifies "went on his own, neither summoned nor sent by Congress"

PTI | September 19, 2011



Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat met members of the Shah commission as a part of the inquiry initiated against the illegal mining trade in the state.

Kamat, who also holds the mining portfolio, had a lengthy discussion with justice M B Shah and his key member U V Singh in Panaji on Monday.

Shah commission had said that if required they would summon chief minister for the inquiry. Sources said that Kamat was not summoned but went on his own to meet the members.

Another Congress minister Vishwajit Rane also met the commission expressing the apprehensions that legal mining should not be affected in a quest to stop illegal mining in the state.

"I told the commission that legal mining should not be stopped. There are several thousand families who are dependent on this trade," he said adding that Bicholim and Sattari talukas, represented by him, has several mining leases and people dependent on them to eke out living.

"After Bellari situation, there is a fear that Commission's report will also clamp down on legal mining in the state. There should be proper line drawn between legal and illegal," Rane said.

The minister clarified that he was neither summoned nor sent by Congress party to represent before commission.

"I went there on my own," he told PTI on Monday.

Eight teams of Shah commission aided by state government have launched extensive investigation illegal mining in the state.

As per rough estimates, illegal mining in Goa is pegged to be between Rs 1,200 crore to Rs 10,000 crore. Goa exported around 54 million metric tones of iron ore last year through its two ports.

Comments

 

Other News

Rubio denies US foreknowledge of Starlink restrictions in Ukraine

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said he was unfamiliar with the Wall Street Journal report suggesting Elon Musk had decided to throttle Starlink services in Ukraine, but rejected claims that Washington had ordered the restrictions to pressure Kyiv.   “There was no

Can AI change India’s breast cancer story?

Breast cancer has become a public-health challenge in India. The greatest opportunity is to find cancers earlier. Artificial intelligence (AI) is opening a new era in breast cancer detection. AI systems can analyse mammograms and other breast-imaging studies, identify subtle abnormalities and assist radi

Farm stability in the time of climate change

Indian agriculture is experiencing significant climate volatility, while the world economy seems to be in a highly volatile situation. Economic indices from various countries show that they need to recalibrate their strategies to withstand economic headwinds. In such a challenging situation, a country li

El Niño threatens India’s Rabi crops

India’s southwest monsoon ended with a 13% rainfall deficit in 2026, its weakest performance in a decade, raising concerns over agricultural production, water security and the upcoming rabi season. With El Niño expected to persist into early 2027, experts warn that declining soil moisture, dep

Regulating the data advantage: India’s new e-Commerce framework

For over a decade, India’s e-commerce story has rested on a simple premise: platforms connect buyers and sellers, while data fuels efficiency, personalisation, and scale. However, as the market matured, its structure has revealed a growing imbalance. E-commerce platforms, especially marketplace ent

Changing weather patterns, climate change responsible for Nepal floods

The interaction between active Western Disturbances, increased atmospheric moisture and the region’s complex topography aswell as global warming are important factors behind intense rainfall in the Himalayas, leading to flash floods in Nepal, according to meteorologists. Nepal

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter