NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged multi-crore mining scam has come across at least 10 locations across the state where private firms/individuals allegedly carried out iron ore extraction without any permission from the concerned government agencies.
Sources informed that the SIT probe has revealed that the mining department had identified these illegal sites (between 2008 and 2011), however, it appears that the department only compounded the offence by issuing penalties by way of fines.
According to SIT officials, the Mines Department at that particular time, should have also filed criminal complaints against the persons who were found to have carried out extraction of ore illegally.
Sources informed that the SIT came across these sites during the ongoing probe in the main case pertaining to renewal and other alleged illegalities in which 183 mining leases are being examined.
So far, in the main case, the SIT has arrested two accused Kancha Gaunder and Philip Jacob.
The accused Gaunder, an ore trader, allegedly illegally excavated, transported and also traded lakhs of metric tonnes of iron ore from different lease sites, dump sites from Goa along with other associates, SIT officials have said.
While the unregistered iron ore trader Philip Jacob was reportedly involved in purchase of unaccounted iron ore to the tune of 30.95 lakh metric tonne and sale thereafter to the tune of 26.08 lakh metric tonne worth over Rs 530 crore, the SIT officials have stated adding that in this particular case, the loss to the state exchequer is more than Rs 90 crore (only in terms of not paying royalty).
