NCP TO SUMMON ILLEGAL MINER OF ITS OWN PARTY JEETENDRA DESHPRABHU

PANJIM: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will summon the party's national secretary Jeetendra Deshprabhu who has been indicted by the Goa government for large scale illegal mining.  State party president Surendra Sirsat asserted that the NCP was against illegal mining. "We will summon him to know about the illegal mining allegations," Sirsat said, in the presence of NCP central observer Bharati Chawan.

Deshprabhu has been fined Rs.1.72 crore for carrying out large scale illegal mining of bauxite at Korgao, in Pernem taluka, 30 km from here. The NCP national secretary has also been booked by the Crime Branch in the illegal mining case along with top mining department officials, including the director mines Arvind Lolienkar. "Our party president has spelled out a firm policy against illegal mining. We will not support illegal mining by anybody in any manner," Chawan said.

Deshprabhu is not the only NCP official accused of illegal mining. The party's Goa co-ordinator Prafulla Hede has also been hauled up for illegal mining by the Goa government, in which the NCP is a coalition partner. – IANS