Panaji:
For the first time, independent Goa MLA Anil Salgaoncar has confessed to exporting 1.3 million tonnes of iron ore from Goa in 2010 without paying royalty. The miner-politician, who claims it was a procedural error, operates around seven mines in Goa.
Mr Salgaoncar submitted back dated documents to claim ore was exported before stringent guidelines came into place in July 2010. This is the first time that a miner-politician has admitted to illegal export of ore.
The Mining Department says it will charge Salgaoncar approximately Rs 30 crores in royalty along with interest. The department is still to decide whether to take further action against him or not.
Mr Salgaoncar's admission comes after crackdown on mining violations leading to tallying of figures of whether ore was illegally exported from Goa.
Apparently, the BJP on Wednesday also admitted its own Chief Minister in Goa Manohar Parrikar was "negligent" in stopping the illegal export of iron ore during his tenure.
It was also a mistake to give Mines portfolio to Digambar Kamat, then a Minister in the BJP Government, Goa BJP President Laxmikant Parsekar said at a press conference in Panaji.
Kamat later joined the Congress and is now the Chief Minister and at the centre of a multi-crore mining scam.
"We did not know that he (Kamat) was making money from the Mines portfolio," Mr Parsekar said.
Asked further about the issue, he said "it was negligence on part of Parrikar, then Chief Minister, to let this (illegal export of iron ore) happen."
Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) has pointed out that from 2004 to 2006, 10.9 million metric tonnes of iron ore was exported from the state's ports without paying royalty.
BJP was in power in the coastal state from June 2002 to February 2005.
Public Accounts Committee (PAC), headed by Mr Parrikar, is investigating the illegal iron ore trade in the state.
Responding to another query, Mr Parsekar further admitted that there is a possibility of a few BJP supporters or well-wishers being involved in the illegal mining trade.
"I don't say our workers are not in the mining trade. If 80 per cent (of those in the trade) are from Congress, there could be 20 per cent from our party. But we don't support them," he said.
The main Opposition party has demanded the resignation of Mr Kamat over the illegal mining trade.
(With PTI inputs)
Mr Salgaoncar submitted back dated documents to claim ore was exported before stringent guidelines came into place in July 2010. This is the first time that a miner-politician has admitted to illegal export of ore.
The Mining Department says it will charge Salgaoncar approximately Rs 30 crores in royalty along with interest. The department is still to decide whether to take further action against him or not.
Mr Salgaoncar's admission comes after crackdown on mining violations leading to tallying of figures of whether ore was illegally exported from Goa.
Apparently, the BJP on Wednesday also admitted its own Chief Minister in Goa Manohar Parrikar was "negligent" in stopping the illegal export of iron ore during his tenure.
It was also a mistake to give Mines portfolio to Digambar Kamat, then a Minister in the BJP Government, Goa BJP President Laxmikant Parsekar said at a press conference in Panaji.
Kamat later joined the Congress and is now the Chief Minister and at the centre of a multi-crore mining scam.
"We did not know that he (Kamat) was making money from the Mines portfolio," Mr Parsekar said.
Asked further about the issue, he said "it was negligence on part of Parrikar, then Chief Minister, to let this (illegal export of iron ore) happen."
Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) has pointed out that from 2004 to 2006, 10.9 million metric tonnes of iron ore was exported from the state's ports without paying royalty.
BJP was in power in the coastal state from June 2002 to February 2005.
Public Accounts Committee (PAC), headed by Mr Parrikar, is investigating the illegal iron ore trade in the state.
Responding to another query, Mr Parsekar further admitted that there is a possibility of a few BJP supporters or well-wishers being involved in the illegal mining trade.
"I don't say our workers are not in the mining trade. If 80 per cent (of those in the trade) are from Congress, there could be 20 per cent from our party. But we don't support them," he said.
The main Opposition party has demanded the resignation of Mr Kamat over the illegal mining trade.
(With PTI inputs)
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