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Monday, August 29, 2011

Goa mining scam pegged at INR 1200 crore

Monday, 29 Aug 2011

ET reported that Goa assembly's Public Accounts Committee Saturday pegged the quantum of illegal mining in the state at INR 1,200 crore, a day after the Bombay High Court issued notice to 48 mining companies for excessive mining in their leases.

A PAC member said that "More than 6 million tonne of ore has already been illegally extracted. It is worth INR 1,200 crore adding the committee was perusing the documents related to the scam.”

The Panaji bench of the Bombay High Court, comprising Justices DG Karnik and FM Reis issued the notice on a public suit by green NGO Goa Foundation.

The NGO argued that the mining companies, which include the Dempo Mining Corporation, and local mining companies like Timblo Irmaos, VM Salgaoncar and Bros, Chowgule Co were extracting ore in violation of environment clearances limit granted to them" by the union ministry of environment and forest.

The court also issued notice to the MoEF.

The petitioner said that "The mining companies make self declarations of the amount of iron ore extracted and the mining department has no mechanism to verify the ore actually extracted.”

(Sourced from ET)

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