Even as the Supreme Court hearing the case on illegal mining in Goa is far from giving a verdict, or even lifting its ban, the Goa Government has announced that it has begun a process of lifting suspensions it had imposed on mining leases and winding up a judicial committee constituted to look into mining excesses.
On the sidelines of a media function, CM Manohar Parrikar said that the Cabinet could take the final decision shortly. “The Government may wind up the Khandeparkar committee. The call will be taken by the Cabinet,” Parrikar said.
The Justice Khandeparkar led committee made headlines for the wrong reasons. The committee had been tasked with verifying the charges leveled by the Shah Commission has not had a single sitting since its appointment mid-last year, a fact which had been criticised by both the Opposition as well as civil society groups.
Even at its inception, the CM made a public statement of constituting such a committee under Justice Khadeparkar, but initially Khandeparkar himself denied giving his consent to head such a committee.
The Goa Police Crime Branch on Monday filed an FIR against persons named in the Shah Commission report. On Tuesday Parrikar announced the constitution of a SIT, headed by a Superintendent of Police to investigate this same FIR.