Goa Cong chief Brar to meet Sonia today; Kamat’s fate sealed? Raman Kirpal 60 mins ago
Jagmeet Singh Brar, ex-MP from Punjab and Goa in-charge of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) will meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi this afternoon. Kamat is facing charges of abetting illegal mining in the State. Justice MB Shah of the Central Government-appointed panel is likely to give his interim report or his first impressions on the alleged illegal-mining in Goa in a couple of days. With these two reports, Sonia Gandhi is likely to decide whether Kamat will lead the Congress as Chief Minister in the forthcoming Assembly elections in 2012. Firstpost broke the story on Goa’s illegal mining scandals on 5 September and then did a series of stories on how common persons have put up a fight against Kamat’s ministers, who too are allegedly involved in illegal mining. You can download our entire coverage. Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat’s fate is likely sealed. Unrelenting media reports finally led the Congress party to send Brar as AICC observer to Goa last week. Brar spent three days in Goa and was back in Delhi on Friday. He will present his report to Sonia Gandhi today. About 10 days ago, Justice Shah was camping in Panjim holding public meetings over illegal mining. Public Account Committee (PAC) of the Goa Assembly also provided Shah with material evidences against illegal mining. Incidentally, Shah was present in Goa, when 19 mines were asked to shut their operations, because they had been mining iron ore in forest areas without permission. Indications are that Justice Shah is likely to submit a damning report on Goa’s state of illegal mining. Goa has only five percent reserves of iron ore, but it accounts for 40 percent of the total iron ore export in the country. Vedanta, which owns Sesa and Dempo groups of mines in the State, had done iron ore business worth $1221.7 million in 2010. Goa State’s total revenue from tourism, excise and mines all put together do not equal this enormous amount. Kamat set a record of sorts when he managed to control mining operations in the state for 12 consecutive years as the mines minister. He was the mines minister when the BJP was in power. He defected to the Congress to retain the mines ministry and eventually also became the chief minister. As the BJP MLA in 1998, Kamat took over as the mines minister for the first time. He continued as mines minster in 2003 in the second BJP government then headed by Manohar Parrikar. This is when the Chinese boom happened. Preparing for the Olympics, China became the major importer of Goan low grade iron ore. They purchased all the rejects and dumps, which the mine companies had rejected as waste. It is said that the Chinese Olympic games were played on Goan soil. In 2008, Kamat not only defected to the Congress, but when he took oath as the chief minister, the first thing, he ensured was that he retained the mines ministry. For Kamat, mines directly deal with the future of the state. Former Chief Minister Parrikar alleges that 25 percent of the mining operations are illegal and Kamat and his ministers have themselves become the mining mafia of the State. Even a local court has recently ordered an FIR against Kamat’s Director (Mines) Arvind D Loliyakar among several other state government officials and politicians in a case of illegal mining.
