Panaji, Sep 15 (IANS): Notices have been issued to 35 of the 104 operational mining leases in Goa for functioning without permission from the forest department, a top pollution control board official said Wednesday.

"The drive will continue against all the polluting mining leases. Companies operating the 35 mining leases have been issued notices for failure to produce proper clearances from the state forest department," Chairman of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) Simon D'Souza told reporters.

Illegal and unchecked mining is a sensitive issue in Goa, with both civil society groups and the opposition repeatedly voicing their concern about the issue. According to data submitted during the monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly, ore worth Rs.4,000 crore was illegally mined and exported out of Goa to countries like China, Japan and Romania.

Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar claims that nearly 18 percent of Goa's total 40 million mining output comprised of illegally mined ore. He has also accused Chief Minister Digambar Kamat and several of his cabinet ministers of being hand-in-glove with the illegal mining sector.