A team of Goa Reserve Police moved stacks of files from theoffice of Director of Mines and Geology, Prasanna Acharya, to an undisclosedsite.
Acharya confirmed that the files contained royalty'challans' (receipts) and NOCs (no objection certificates) issued since 2009but declined to reveal where the documents had been moved.
Acharya told reporters these files would be scanned andsecured so that they are not tampered with
These files are under scrutiny as part of the stategovernment's investigations into illegal mining and export of iron ore from Goa.
The NOCs and challans, issued during the tenure of formerDirector of Mines Arvind Lolienkar, are being scrutinised to find out anyillegalities, officials said.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had earlier told theAssembly that a panel of Chartered Accountants would be formed to go throughthese papers.
The Goa Government is investigating the iron ore mining scaminvolving crores of rupees allegedly under the previous Congress-led regime.
Goa to tightenregulations on mining from I-Day onwards
The Goa government has decided to implement stringentregulations on the mining industry in the state from August 15 onwards, with anaim to curtail unregulated and illegal mining in the state.
Directorate of Mines and Geology in its letter to theassociation of mine owners, exporters and barges (ship carrying ore) owners hasasked them to adhere to the new regulations, failing which strict action isprescribed in the notification.
As per the new regulations, the mine owners will loselicence to operate, if the trucks employed by him violate the law 25 times.
"If overloading of 25 or more carrier/trucks is foundfrom any lease area, the proposal shall be moved to the government fortermination of the lease," the notification issued by Director of MinesPrasanna Acharya reads.
Acharya has said that since new mining season is about tobegin (in September), it is important to regulate the transportation of ore soas to maintain a proper account of ore for computation of royalty and otherdues payable to the government.
The regulations, he said, is also to ensure that miningtransport is regulated through respective lease holders or traders irrespectiveof the fact whether the transportation of ore is carried by lease holders ortraders directly or otherwise.
The licence of lease holder has been threatened to becancelled, if they don't install electronic weigh bridge with necessarysoftware to generate transit pass or permits as specified by the directorate.
The overloading of the trucks has been strictly preventedand truck overloading the ore, will be fined for Rs five lakh.
The permit generated on the weigh bridge should be pasted onthe windshield of the truck. The barges (ships which carry ore from jetties tothe harbor) will have to be registered with the Directorate of Mines andGeology.
No barge without registration will be allowed to ply.
The state government has given time till August 27 forregistration of the barges. The ships have also been asked not to indulge incarrying the ore which has been extracted illegally.
