Cong puts Kamat on notice again

Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat, who has been facing flak over mounting allegations of illegal mining, may have earned a temporary reprieve but the Congress high command has not yet closed the option of replacing him. Aurangzeb Naqshbandi reports.

Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat, who has been facing flak over mounting allegations of illegal mining, may have earned a temporary reprieve but the Congress high command has not yet closed the option of replacing him.

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But the party high command will wait for the justice MB Shah Commission's report on the illegal mining in the state. The panel, appointed by the Centre to investigate into cases of illegal mining in several states, including Goa, is likely to submit its findings by October-end or first week of November.

"In case the commission indicts him, we should be ready with an alternative," Congress sources said. "Some names have been short-listed for the post."

The Central leadership has now decided to again rush party in-charge Goa affairs Jagmeet Singh Brar to the state to discuss the "probable candidates".

Though Brar was unavailable for comment, a section of the Goa Congress maintained that he will be in the state for four days to formally the launch the party campaign for next year's assembly elections.

Brar had visited the state on a fact finding mission in the first week of October when the alleged mining scam broke. He had then also sought the views of the party legislators and other state leaders on the possible change of guard in the wake of the opposition onslaught against Kamat.

The PAC has also submitted its report into the findings by CAG, who had pointed out that during the 2004-06 fiscal, 10.9 million metric tonnes of iron ore was dispatched by evading royalty. In the report, the PAC said the Goa government had suffered a loss of Rs 4,000 crore.