Illegal mining: Parrikar does a U turn; says 24 cases detected

The government has not been able to find out the culprit and even the land owner,says report.

Written by Agencies

Panaji | July 23, 2012 01:08 PM IST

2 min read

A week after denying that there is illegal mining in Goa,Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said that two dozen such cases were detected during last five years in the state. Parrikar in a written reply tabled on the floor of the House said that since 2004,total 24 cases of illegal mining activities have been detected. As per the reply,in few cases,the government has not been able to find out the culprit and even the land owner,where the mining was happening. The illegal mining cases have been reported from iron ore rich Sanguem,Pernem,Ponda,Sattari,Quepem and Bicholim taluka while one case was registered in Tiswadi taluka,lesser known for mining activities. The replies tabled on the floor of the House indicates the delay on the part of government authorities as in several cases details were sought about the person owning the land from district administration,two years back,but still the department was yet to the response. In the reply further,Parrikar had said that no cases of persons involved in trading and transporting illegal iron ore has come to the notice of the government. However,investigation is in progress to find out illegalities during past, he added. The Chief Minister had drawn flak in the past from the environmental activist for claiming that there is no illegal mining in the state.

Defending his statement on the floor of the House,