2 former CMs to be booked in Goa illegal mining case

The Goa government plans to file a First Information Report (FIR) against 151 people, including two former Goa chief ministers, the son of a former Goa home minister, several state and Central government officials, besides 100-odd mining firms in connection with illegal mining.

“The FIR will be filed by the state within six weeks as directed by the court,” Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said.

The FIR is the fallout of the directives by the Bombay High Court’s bench in Goa, which heard a petition filed by one Kashinath Shetye, who sought action against all those indicted by the Justice M B Shah Commission of inquiry into illegal mining.
In its order delivered this week, the court directed that an FIR be filed against all the accused, including two former Goa chief ministers Pratapsingh Rane (current leader of opposition) and Digambar Kamat, who were also mining ministers.

The name of Roy, son of former Goa home minister Ravi Naik, who was also named in a narcotics mafia case, will be included in the FIR for his alleged involvement in transporting illegally extracted ore.

The complaint, which will be converted into an FIR, names two former directors of the Mines and Geology Department – J B Bhingui and Arvind Lolienkar, Chairman of the Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) P Mara Pandiyan, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forest and others.

Quoting Justice M B Shah Commission Report, the complaint accused officials of the state Transport Department, state Water Resources Department, Indian Bureau of Mines, State Conservator of Forests, Goa State Pollution Control Board, police department and others for protecting illegal mining.

“Not only was the natural wealth robbed, but police officials also went further and tried to suppress it by accepting money,” the complaint said.

The complaint had also demanded recovery of Rs 35,000 crore, which was shown as money plundered by mine owners.