PANAJI
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar agreed that transportation of ore from the mines in Cavrem will be on hold until all issues concerning the transportation are resolved, mining leader from the village Ravindra Velip said.
Speaking to media persons after emerging from a meeting with the chief minister, Velip said that they pointed out several loopholes in the transport of e-auctioned ore and sought that he pay attention to the loopholes.
“We had a one and a half hour meeting with the CM and in the meeting we placed before him the evidence and correspondence which proves that there is illegal transportation going on in the village. This is what we have been shouting for so many days now. He agreed that there are loopholes which could be exploited,” Velip said.
“While he said that there are exploitable loopholes, we know for sure that these are being exploited,” Velip said.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Director of Mines Parag Nagarsekar, who according to the villagers could not give satisfactory replies to the questions raised.
“Transport has stopped and the chief minister has promised that until there is an inventory and other issues sorted there will be no transport of ore,” Velip said adding that another meeting has been fixed on Tuesday along with Director of Mines Prasanna Acharya to thrash out issues.
Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldesai who was present at the meeting with the Chief Minister and the villagers said that he favoured an inventory as well as checking of the grade of the ore at the mine.
“If there is even the slightest doubt that the government is being cheated, then an inventory needs to be done and the truth must come out,” Phaldesai said. “I am not in favour of the government making a loss on the e-auction,” he added.
The loophole being referred to is the fact that the mines department has auctioned the ore on the basis of grade and quantity stacked as was supplied by the mining leaseholder. In most cases, the e-auctioned ore has been bid for by the same mine owner.
“In reality, the grade of the ore as well as the quantity could be much higher than what was told to the mines department and all this will currently be exported,” Velip said when asked to elaborate on the loopholes he was referring to. The Cavrem villagers who came in two bus loads of people to the secretariat were also accompanied by the members of the United Tribals Association Alliance.
