Panaji: Constant efforts by the state government to play down the illegal mining scandal in Goa notwithstanding, a feature article released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Goa`s liberation from colonial Portuguese rule lambasts the authorities for inaction against the menace.
The approximately 1,700-word article written by veteran freedom fighter Nagesh Karmali, president of the All Goa Freedom Fighters Association (AGFFA), also warns that "nature is being exploited beyond limits" in Goa.
"If mining is considered as an industry then we must say that its range has reached far. Of course, this has led to fabulous earnings for the mine owners and the people residing in mining areas. But suffocation seethes within owing to it. The problem of pollution has crept in. Threat looms high on the water sources," said Karmali, whose AGFFA decided last week to boycott the government`s celebrations of the 50th anniversary because of chief minister Digambar Kamat`s "anti-people" policies.
"Nature is being exploited beyond limits. No measures are taken to curb it. `Let it continue as it is`, has become the attitude," Karmali further said in his severe critique of the Congress-led Goa government.
According to the Goa unit of the PIB, the article was part of a "series of feature articles on the occasion of Goa Liberation Day, December 19", released by the central government department.
The feature titled "Liberation Of Goa And Our Aspirations", also speaks of the course of events and developments which have taken place in Goa since its liberation on December 19, 1961.
The Congress-led coalition government in Goa headed by chief minister Digambar Kamat has come under severe criticism over the issue of illegal mining, with civil society groups as well as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party alleging a massive scam and involvement of several cabinet ministers.
Senior BJP leaders have directly accused Kamat in the Rs.25,000 crore scam, already being probed by a judicial commission headed by Justice MB Shah, which is also investigating illegal mining in other parts of the country.
IANS
