IANS reported that a Congress leader in Goa has added a fresh twist to the state's illegal mining saga.

Party spokesperson Mr Jitendra Deshprabhu Thursday demanded that the central government should examine and assess the over 700 million tonnes of low iron ore dumps for gold and platinum content.

Mr Deshprabhu, who himself was arrested last year for illegal mining, said mining companies operating in Goa for decades have been exporting ore which also had gold component and that the yellow metal was one of the reason why China was hungry for ore from the state.

Mr Deshprabhu told reporters that "It is very pertinent that the Government of India will have to evaluate mineral in dumps not only to ascertain content but also gold, platinum and other important metals in this material. Goa's ore has traces of gold and platinum.”

Mr Deshprabhu said that "The miners were actually exporting gold from the country in the guise of iron ore and platinum and other rare minerals to China. China has the technology to recover these precious elements from mountains of ore.”

Source - IANS

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