Panaji: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
leaders in Goa on Sunday said that they are in the final stages of
preparing an "explosive" report on the illegal mining scam in
the state, which will bare the trade from its root.
Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar said that the party
has already prepared a rough draft of the report, which is
being finalised and will be made public in next few days.
Parrikar, who had earlier come out with a report by the
Public Accounts Committee (PAC), headed by him, on the illegal
mining scam, said that BJP's report is entirely based on the
facts, which can stand legal scrutiny.
"Over the last five years, iron ore worth Rs 25,000 crore
was illegally extracted and sent out of Goa," he said, adding
that the illegal mining industry has eclipsed the legal mining
trade.
"Since the state government has failed to control illegal
mining, it will damage the legal one," he said.
The BJP leader said that due to the illegal mining,
everything has become cloudy, injecting fear in the minds of
people dependent on the trade.
Parrikar added that they have decided to boycott all the
committees of the state legislative assembly as the party has
lost faith in the Speaker Pratapsingh Rane.
"Not just PAC, we will not be participating in any of the
committees of the assembly," said Parrikar, whose PAC report
was questioned by the Speaker.
Parrikar had been removed as the PAC chairman, after he
had questioned the Speaker's move of not tabling the panel's
report in the state legislative assembly.
The party has also begun a door-to-door campaign in the
state, educating people on the illegal mining issue and
creating awareness on the "mischief played by the state
government".
PTI
First Published: Sunday, October 30, 2011, 16:36