CM assures mining recovery, Sardesai alleges mine owners run the dept

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Panaji: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant assured the House on Thursday that the state government will recover the money from the mine owners who are indicted in the Shah Commission report on illegal mining in Goa.

Responding to a Question raised by Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai on the floor of the House, Sawant said that Crime Branch’s Special Investigation Team has filed charge-sheet before the Court against all those mine owners and State Directorate of Mines and Geology officials indicted by Shah Commission.

He said that the Directorate of Mines and Geology has issued notices to the mine owners for the recovery. “Government has submitted an affidavit before the High Court assuring to recover the amount mentioned in the Shah commission report,” Sawant said.

Raising the issue on the floor of the House, Sardesai alleged that the mine owners were running the State Directorate of Mines and Geology, which is clear from the fact that though the Shah Commission had indicted them in the year 2012, till date, not a single rupee have been recovered from the mine owners.

Shah commission had pegged mining scam in the state to the tune of Rs 35,000 crore.

Sardesai also alleged that the State Crime Branch, which had filed case before the Goa Bench of Bombay High Court, had requested the Judges to stay the proceedings.

Refuting the allegations, Sawant said that the State government had filed affidavit before the Bench seeking to transfer the cases to Special Court and thereafter the HC had stayed the proceedings.

During the discussion, Sardesai pointed out that NGO Goa Foundation had filed a petition before the HC pleading that state government should recover Rs 1,580 crore which were identified by the team of Chartered Accounts and demand notice for the same were sent to the mine owners.

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