Panaji (Goa) [India], March 16 (ANI): Goa Congress leader Girish ChodanCongresskar has accused a senior minister in the Goa Govt led by the BJP of orchestrating a massive scam, alleging that crores in bribes were collected to manipulate land classification.

In a strongly worded post on social media platform X, Chodankar claimed that landowners paid over Rs1,000 per square meter to have their properties removed from private forest classifications.

He wrote, 'Everyone knows the 'rates'--Rs1000+ per sq. meter--to remove land from private forest & convert zones. Crores in bribes were collected, and now he must return the money! So, what does he do? He wants to waste taxpayers' money to challenge a ruling that protects Goa's land--just to safeguard his investor friends who paid those heavy bribes.'

As per the post, 'The 'Land Conversion Minister' has been hit with a double setback! First, the Supreme Court stopped the sale of private forests, and now the High Court has crushed his corrupt 17(2) land scam.'

Despite these rulings, Chodankar warned that the minister is planning to challenge the High Court decision--using taxpayer money--to protect those who had allegedly paid bribes. 'This is shameful! He must be sacked immediately! Goa cannot afford ministers who sell our land for personal gain,' Chodankar stated.

Meanwhile, India's first-ever auction of exploration licences, a significant reform aimed at unlocking the nation's untapped critical and deep-seated mineral resources, was held in Goa.

On Thursday, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant jointly launched the auction of 13 Exploration Licence blocks, covering critical minerals such as Rare Earth Elements (REE), Zinc, Diamond, Copper, and Platinum Group Elements (PGE).

'This initiative, facilitated through a transparent online bidding process, is set to accelerate systematic mineral exploration, enhance private sector participation, and reduce import dependency,' said the Ministry of Mines in a statement. (ANI)