The Goa Cabinet is yet to accept the crucial Justice M. B. Shah Commission report which has pointed out serious illegalities in the mining sector of the State, the Legislative Assembly was told today.
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, in his reply tabled on the floor of the House during the ongoing winter session, has said the “Shah Commission has been constituted by the Central Government and therefore the State Government has no role in acceptance of the same” (Commission report).
Parrikar further said the report has also “not been put before the Central (Union) Cabinet.”
The Chief Minister was responding to a question by Congress legislator Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, who had asked that by whom the decision to implement the recommendation of Shah Commission was taken.
Parrikar further said the State Government took the decision to ban mining activity (in September 2012) under the Mines and Minerals Regulation and Development Act, 1957.
Iron ore mining, one of the main economic activities in Goa, was initially stopped by the State Government asking the mine owners to produce their valid documents.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court halted extraction and transportation of iron ore in the State, responding to the petition filed by a Goa-based NGO.
Goa is the largest exporter of iron ore with 43 million tonnes being shipped outside the country during the last financial year.
Responding to another question, Parrikar said the State Government had collected Rs 292.25 crore as revenue from mined ore export during 2009-10, which went up to Rs 983.73 crore during 2010-11 and Rs 952.97 crore in 2011-12.