PANAJI
The meeting between Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar and villagers from Caurem led by Ravindra Velip, who have been protesting against transportation of ore, took a serious twist when it was revealed that Ravindra had extorted ` 23 lakh from a mining company in 2012. The meeting was attended by Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldessai, Director of Mines Prasanna Acharya, Deputy Director Parag Nagarsekar and special secretary to CM Ameya Abyankar from the government side while Ravindra Velip, Nilesh Gaonkar and Adv Suhas Velip represented the villagers. Former MLA Prakash Velip was also present. Documents presented at the meeting showed that Ravindra Velip accepted two cheques of ` 10.62 lakh each and a third of ` 2.07 lakh. All the money was deposited into Velip s bank account between May 4, 2012 and July 19, 2012, a few months before the mining industry was shut down. When Nilesh Gaonkar and Adv Suhas Velip were asked if they were aware of the deal, they replied in the negative. The revelation is significant because in a letter dated March 9 this year to the district administration, the director of mines and geology stated, “Prior to suspension of mining in 2012, when the price of mineral was at its peak, in the name of social cost, dust pollution, traffic jam, some people residing in the vicinity of transportation routes were extorting money from lease holders and the sum was paid by the lease holders under duress”. It is also learnt that the real reason behind the one-and-half month protest was a demand made by Ravindra Velip that the ore transport contract be given to him. This was brought to light through a series of letters between Velip and the mining company. The first letter, dispatched on October 5, 2015, Velip requested the company to grant the transportation contract to a multi-purpose society so as to enable villagers, who had purchased trucks, to avail of the benefit. An email sent on March 17, 2016 requested transportation of e-auctioned ore through Sadhana Multipurpose Co-operative Society and called for a meeting the next day. It was later discovered that registration of the society was rejected by the registrar on grounds that all the conditions were not complied with. The registrar also asked for clarification on the claim to stop illegal mining and conduct sustainable mining. It is learnt that at the Monday meeting between Cavrem villagers and the chief minister three issues came up for discussion – transportation of illegal ore without weighing the same, grades not being checked and quantities of ore not being tallied. Parsekar apparently opined that mining companies which did not have weigh bridges alone should suspend transportation pending installation of the same. When the issue of illegal ore came up at yesterday s meeting the director of mines clarified that following the Supreme Court order all the ore stacked in the State was deemed to be illegal. Hence, it was taken over by the government and auctioned with the proceeds going to the government. On the issue of weigh bridges, the director said the company operating the mine at Cavrem has a weigh bridge at the mine. Software installed here is used to tally the reading with the weigh bridge at the unloading jetty and the same are uploaded to the directorate s server. Following yesterday s meeting, directions have been issued to the district administration to ensure that all obstacles to transportation of iron ore are removed and those blocking it arrested.
