Headlines
Under-pressure Natarajan claims she stopped mining in Goa
Panaji, Jan 31
Former union minister for
environment and forests in the erstwhile UPA government Jayanthi
Natarajan Friday became the second senior politician to claim credit for
the closure of Goa's tainted, multi-billon dollar iron ore mining
industry, after former chief minister Manohar Parrikar.
Natarajan,
who made a stormy exit from the party Friday, said in an interview to a
leading news channel, late yesterday (Friday), that in 2012 she
suspended environment clearances (ECs) to all mining operations. The
decision, she believed, was proof of her diligent work, even as several
Congress leaders Friday criticised her for sloppy handling of the
ministry.
"...I was the one who stopped all the mines in Goa. And
they are still closed. All the mines in Goa are closed. They said the
entire economy of Goa is destroyed because of me," said Natarajan, who
has blamed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi of interfering with the
functioning of her ministry and accused the Congress party of a
witch-hunt against her.
However, Natarajan's claims of being the one, who stopped mining in Goa are only half-true.
On
September 12, Natarajan during a visit to Goa did suspend ECs granted
to 93 mining leases, but that was only days after then chief minister
Manohar Parrikar had already temporarily suspended mining operations
following the revelation of a Rs.35,000 crore illegal mining scam by the
Justice M.B. Shah Commission.
Goa's mining sector has been
non-operational for more than two years because of three successive
actions, the temporary suspension of mining permission by the then
Parrikar-state government, a revocation of green clearances by the
Natarajan-led ministry of environment and forests, and then a subsequent
ban by the Supreme Court.
Incidentally Sept 13, a day after
Natarajan's announcement of the suspension of ECs, Parrikar had called
her an "irresponsible minister" in a press conference and said that he
would be "writing to the prime minister urging him to set things right
in the environment ministry".
Parrikar, while receiving an award from a national news channel in December, had also claimed that he had banned mining in Goa.