FIR against Digambar & Rane as mines ministers, not CMs
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 09 September 2012 20:21 IST
The Bharatiya Janata Party government has decided to file a First Information Report against two former Congress chief ministers – Digambar Kamat and Pratapsing Rane – for their alleged involved in illegal mining.
Justice M B Shah Commission, in its report tabled in the Parliament, has clearly pointed out at the illegality committed by both Kamat and Rane – as the mines ministers, from 1995 to 2007.
The government is also planning to file similar cases against the top bureaucrats, including former directors of mines – Arvind Lolayekar and J N Bhingui.
The major illegality cited by Shah Commission is condonation of delay in renewing the mining leases and allowing the mine owners to continue with the mining leases, in violation of the procedures.
Due to this, the centre as well as the state governments are now thinking of auctioning the leases rather than renewing directly, especially after the supreme court order in the 2G scam.
Parrikar said the FIRs would be based on the Shah Commission report findings.
Besides the two former chief ministers, he plans to also file it against the two former mines directors, the then state mining secretaries as well as officials of union ministry of environment and forest and Indian Bureau of Mines.
The report has also cited one condonation of delay during Parrikar’s erstwhile regime, when Kamat was the mines minister.
“I was busy with the first IFFI at that time and I am not even aware of this illegal act”, claims Parrikar.
He has thus kept the chief ministers out of its ambit and wants to file FIR only against the mines ministers of the past.
Parrikar said he can very well file the FIR against the union government officials since the offence has taken place in Goa and the state has powers to prosecute the guilty.
The government however is yet to decide whether the FIR should be filed through the crime branch or the anti-corruption bureau of the vigilance department of Goa police.
Mr Parrikar CM,....the fastest way, to any jail ,will be fine for these corrupt scoundrels.