Shah Commission submits mining report to centre
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 15 March 2012 21:07 IST
Shah Commission has finally submitted its report on Goa's mining and illegalities involved in it to the union mines ministry today, as reported by NDTV channel today.
As per the NDTV report, Justice M B Shah Commission has suggested total ban on mining in Goa.
The report, says NDTV, has also stated that the state government failed to stop illegal mining and as such it has caused immense danger to environment.
Incidentally, the recently concluded Assembly election has thrown out the erstwhile Congress-led government, headed by Digambar Kamat.
He was also the mines minister, in his government as well as when he was a minister in Manohar Parrikar’s BJP led coalition.
He had quit the BJP to join the Congress and had also become the chief minister.
Illegal mining was one of the major issues in the Assembly election.
In fact most of the mining-related Congress and NCP candidates got defeated in this election.
The NDTV channel had disclosed the findings of the Shah Commission report in November. However, its submission got delayed.
The TV channel had stated that the report has found that more than 50 per cent of all the working m9nes in Goa were involved in all kind of violations from mining outside permissible areas to a complete disregard for environmental and wild life clearances.
The report, says NDTV, has also noted that many companies have been mining by proxy, using fronts to mine more than the quotas assigned to them.
The Shah Commission had inspected 122 mines in Goa, out of which 90 are operational.
Goa exported almost 54 million metric tonnes of iron ore, most of which was to China.
NDTV report states that the Commission has suggested several reforms for regularized mining in the state.
Let us wait and watch as to whether the Commission has fixed responsibilities for the loot.....The mining has benefited very little to the State but served as a tool for huge taxes to the center and a windfall profit to a few with political patronage.....It would be interesting to see how the mining addicts would react....