‘CM must reveal recovery status in Rs 35k cr mining scam or apologise’

Margao: Reacting to chief minister Pramod Sawant’s statement holding leader of opposition Digambar Kamat “squarely responsible” for the current mining crisis in the state, state Congress president Girish Chodankar on Sunday dared Sawant to reveal the status of recovery proceedings in the Rs 35,000 crore

mining scam

that the late Manohar Parrikar had accused Congress of. Else, Chodankar demanded the chief minister should apologise to Goans for the mining ban effected by the BJP government that led to the destruction of livelihoods of mining-dependent Goans.

“Parrikar misled and fooled Goans by alleging a false mining scam of Rs 35,000 crore to grab power in 2012. I challenge the chief minister to reveal the details of the progress of recovery of this Rs 35,000 crore and status of investigation in the false mining scam,” Chodankar said, while addressing a meeting of party workers at Nuvem held to induct social activist Jose Raju Cabral into the party.

He demanded that the government put in the public domain the Public Accounts Committee report on mining referred to by Parrikar then.

Stating that BJP was “copying” Parrikar’s Salcete Mission agenda by promoting some zilla panchayat members as prospective independent candidates for assembly election in a few Salcete constituencies, Chodankar urged people to be wary of and reject BJP’s “hidden” Salcete mission “the way you did to Parrikar last time.”

Leader of opposition Digambar Kamat, reacting to chief minister’s statement accusing him of failing to effectively implement the telecom policy during his tenure as chief minister leading to current poor internet connectivity issues, demanded that Sawant explain to the people why the BJP government failed to expand the Optic Fibre Cable internet network connectivity, which had reached every panchayat by 2010.

“In 2010, Goa was the first state to have broadband connectivity. But for the last 12 years, the BJP government did nothing to expand it. Don’t blame others to hide your faults,” Kamat said. He also assured the people that Congress will scrap the proposed three linear projects if it came to office “just the way it had scrapped the SEZ”.

AICC membership incharge Rajesh Griglani, South Goa district president Joe Dias, former minister Alexio Sequeira, were among those present for the function.