Panaji: The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) on Tuesday held a protest in the city and later gheraoed officials of Directorate of Mines demanding action against Urban Development Minister Milind Naik for illegal sale of ore worth Rs 3.5 lakhs.
The morcha was led by GPCC Vice-president Sankalp Amonkar.
In a memorandum submitted to the Mines officials, the GPCC said that about a year and haif ago, the Port had accumulated all the iron ore cargo lying on various MOHP plots and after weighment of the same had declared a quantity of about 45000 MT to the Directorate of Mines & Geology ( DMG).
“The DMG had subsequently e auctioned the cargo and M/s. Vedanta had purchased about 32000 MT of the cargo and after weighment and obtaining necessary permits from DMG had moved the cargo to their plant at Amona,” it said.
The memorandum added, one of the bidders for the e-auctioned cargo was M/s. Kodee Resources whose cargo was lying on the Port designated plots at Berth 9,
“MV Aviona is a vessel currently under loading at Mooring Dolphin 1& amp; 2 at MPT. The shipper is M/s. Essar Minmet and stevedore is M/s. M. N. Construction (MNC), a firm owned by the MLA of Mormugеo. The supplier of cargo to the vessel is M/s. Kodee Resources,” the memorandum said.
Further, it added, about a week ago, MNC has brought an excavator, screening machine and wheel loader into the port and has probably at the behest of Kodee Resources excavated iron ore cargo from the port plots and started screening the same. This operation can be deemed as a mining activity as they have excavated ore from the ground which has not been declared by the Port to DMG and is thus in violation of the Supreme Court order that no mining is permitted
“Even if ore has been lying on the Port plot and it has been identified now, the Port has to bring it to the notice of DMG first who will then e-auction the cargo and sell it to the highest bidder. Kodee resources in connivance with MNC has attempted to extract ore from the ground within the port premises which is of 58 grade in substitution of his previous bid ore which is of about 50 grade. This amounts to a clear case of theft and misappropriation,” the memorandum said.
GPCC said the ore which has been screened has also been shifted to the Berth and MNC has loaded one barge MV Tunga on 16.11.20 without any weighment being done on the Port weighbridge which is connected via GPS, and all movement of ore has to be recorded on the DMG ore accounting system. They have also managed to get a permit for a quantity of 1965 MT for the barge without carrying out any weighment of the trucks carrying the ore, from the plot to the berth.
“This is another case of misappropriation. The cost of the above cargo loaded into the barge and subsequently into the vessel is approx 80 lakhs at today’s market rate,” GPCC memorandum says.
GPCC demanded explanation from DMG how the barge trip sheet for 1965 MT was issued without carrying our any weighment? How was Kodee resources and MNC permitted to excavate the cargo from the port plots? Who from the Port has permitted the excavation and screening of the ore? Why was this additional cargo not disclosed to the DMG?
The GPCC demanded the cargo loaded into the ship has to be unloaded back into the barge and brought back to the Plot.
Also, it added, MNC which has done damage to the port plot and involved in this case of theft has to have his stevedoring licence cancelled with immediate effect.
“DMG has to make a thorough enquiry into this as to how a party who has bid for 50 grade cargo can lift 58 grade cargo. Kodee resources has to be blacklisted with immediate effect and all cargo in his possession to be seized. Enquiry to be conducted by Crime branch / CBI as to which persons from the Port are involved in granting permissions to MNC & amp; amp; Kodee to undertake the excavation, screening, transportation and loading jobs without necessary permits from DMG,” it said..
