The high-level committee (headed by chief forest conservator Shashi Kumar) points out several instances where illegal mining is being carried out in contravention of forest norms and yet these firms are extracting thousands of tonnes of ore,' Parrikar said.

The Shashi Kumar committee report was submitted in the assembly Monday.

Illegal mining has become a hotly debated issue in Goa, with green activists alleging that several ministers in the Congress-led coalition government were indulging in illegal extraction of ore.

Nearly 100 mining tracts have been leased out for extraction of manganese, iron and bauxite ores in Goa, which exports about 33 million tonnes of ore annually, primarily to China and Japan.