Those involved in illegal mining won't be spared: Min
Rourkela/Berhampur: A day after chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered a vigilance probe into illegal mining operations and smuggling in Hemgir and Koida tehsils of Sundargarh district, mines minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena said on Saturday that those involved in the irregularities would not be spared.
After the CM's order, vigilance formed an eight-member SIT, led by IG (vigilance), Sanjay Kumar Kaushal, to investigate the matter.
Jena told the media in Berhampur that stringent action would be taken against those individuals, whoever they may be, involved in the scam. "Our govt is committed to zero tolerance in any form of corruption, particularly in the mining sector. The CM's order for the vigilance inquiry into the alleged illegal mining in Sundargarh district indicates the govt's commitment," he added.
On the direction of the CM, Jena and environment and forest minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia visited some of the areas in Sundargarh where illegal mining took place to take stock of the situation on April 18. "We have given our inquiry report to the CM," he added.
During the visit, they noticed massive illegal mining in the forest areas of Hemgir and Koida tehsils. "The exact value of illegal mining will be ascertained after a thorough investigation by the special investigation team (SIT) of vigilance.
Initial estimation pegged it at more than Rs 39 crore, including Rs 2.2 crore in coal and over Rs 37 crore in iron and manganese ore," said Jena.
Jena said the vigilance would investigate illegal mining thoroughly and expose those involved in the scam. "It is just the beginning from Sundargarh," he added.
Initial investigation revealed that 9,843 tonnes of coal were extracted illegally from 22 mining pits in Hemgir tehsil.
These included the mines in Gopalpur (14), Bhogarakachhar (5) and Ratnasora (3). The value of illegal mining was estimated to be Rs 2.2 crore. An illegal coal storage facility was also discovered by officials in Jamakhani reserve forest.
Similarly, officials also found illegal mining of iron and manganese in 50 pits in five villages in Koida tehsil. This involved around 20,000 tonnes of manganese and 1,200 tonnes of iron ore, valued at over Rs 37 crore, sources said.
The issue gained political attention, with BJD's Sundargarh Sadar, Jogesh Singh, and BJP's Kusum Tete demanding high-level probes. In response, district collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan also ordered a probe into the illegal operations.
Before the ministerial visit, a nine-member enforcement team from the directorate of mines and geology investigated the illegal mining and smuggling in Sundargarh. "I have not received any official communication pertaining to the investigation," said Surendra Nath Panigrahi, SP, Rourkela vigilance division.
On Saturday, MLA Singh said, "I feel the vigilance team would not be able to crack the large-scale illegal mining and smuggling by mining mafia. Therefore, I demand a probe by CBI or STF to yield better results," he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Homes bulldozed at Delhi's Bhoomiheen Camp — minutes before HC heard petitions to stay demolition
Minutes before pleas to stay the demolition at Bhoomiheen Camp, in Southeast Delhi's Govindpuri, were heard by a vacation bench in the High Court on Monday, civic authorities had already started razing hutments. The two petitioners in the case lost their homes. When the petition was taken up, Justices Tushar Rao Gedela and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar refused to halt the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) action while issuing notices to the authorities. The two-judge bench's refusal on Monday came days after the HC dismissed a clutch of petitions by slum dwellers against the impending eviction and demolition. Justice Dharmesh Sharma, on May 26 and May 30, had rejected the pleas. The nearly three-decades-old slum cluster was home to migrants from UP, Bihar and West Bengal, among others, the single-judge bench was told during the hearings. The inhabitants included women who worked as domestic help, labourers in factories and local shops, and others who had meagre sources of income. The petitioners had moved the court first in 2023, claiming that the DDA, in 'an arbitrary and illegal manner, proposed to demolish their jhuggi-jhopdis'. The proposal, they contended, was contrary to the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015. It was contended that the surveys for their rehabilitation were conducted contrary to the policy, 'by an obscure, outsourced agency appointed by DDA'. It was also pointed out that due processes were not followed. Justice Sharma, in the May 26 ruling against 44 dwellers who moved court, and the verdict for which was reserved last year on December 6, 2024, held that the DDA has 'substantially adhered to all prescribed procedures in surveying the JJ clusters in question'. Refusing to set aside the survey, Justice Sharma emphasised that the petitioners have 'no vested right' to rehabilitation and that the earlier court-ordered interim stay on demolition 'has not only hindered the timely execution of the rehabilitation project but also resulted in a significant escalation of public expenditure.' The court also recorded that as per the DDA, 'over Rs 835.88 crore has been expended in the process of in-situ rehabilitation of JJ dwellers of Bhoomiheen Camp,' adding that 'it cannot be overlooked that the rehabilitation process is time-sensitive, and any further extension of timelines would result in additional expenditure of valuable public funds and delay the rehabilitation of other clusters and JJ dwellers.' Appeals by two petitioners from the earlier round of litigation — Manjoor Ali and Kashmir Lal — challenging Justice Sharma's order of May 26 and May 30, respectively, were before the vacation bench on Monday. Moments before their petition was taken up, their houses were razed. The demolition action, pending the appeal, was highlighted before the division bench. It, however, refused to stay the demolition action, orally remarking that it is being undertaken in compliance with the single judge's order. DDA also told the court that the dwellings of the petitioners were demolished. The court has kept the matter next for consideration on July 7, when the rehabilitation issue is likely to be taken up.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Big paneer scam: How your fav veg platter is adulterated and reaches your kitchen
Ranchi: Infamous for Jamtara and cybercrime, Jharkhand cops and the food safety officials are now waging a different war — a raging paneer scam. In less than a week, officials have seized thousands of kilograms of adulterated paneer worth lakhs across two different districts. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Authorities are saying 'organised' gangs are flooding the markets with cheap and adulterated paneer which could have serious health implications on consumers. Following the seizure of around 4,000 kg paneer from a Ranchi bound passenger bus from Bihar last week, authorities in Ramgarh on Monday morning recovered nearly one quintal stocks comprising paneer and khowa. With Bihar links surfacing during the seizures, authorities have put all the districts bordering Bihar on alert, and directed regular raids to break the illegal supply chain. Besides Bihar, sources in the state food safety department told TOI said that Bengal, another neighbouring state, is also a major supplier of such spurious items into Jharkhand markets. For transit, the gangs are mostly using passenger buses and vans and carrying edibles and other goods to evade checks. "Passenger buses are unlikely suspects, which serves as safe passage for transportation. For drivers and helpers of buses, it's an easy way to earn money," said a police official, who was part of the assist-team during the raid in Hazaribag. Talking to TOI, Ramgarh food safety officer, Dipashri Srivastava said, "Such adulterated items are mainly coming from Khagariya, Patna, Chapra, Bhatiyarpur, Maneer and places bordering Jharkhand. Today's raid was based on a precise tip-off which led to the massive recovery." Although, she maintained that a cumulative fine of Rs 35,000 has been imposed on the three buses from where the consignment meant to Ranchi market, further punitive action will be taken on the bus and its handlers and owners following further probe. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "We conducted an iodine test on paneer on the spot which testified it was adulterated. It was high on starch and araroot. Khowa samples are under test, after which they will be destroyed," she said. Ranchi's food safety officer Subir Ranjan maintained that their analysis into the entire nexus revealed that Bihar and Bengal are the major suppliers of fake paneer and milk products to Jharkhand. The state's food safety cell with the help of local police is now trying to plug the entry points. "We surprised the illegal traders by conducting raids in Hazaribag last week. Had we planned to raid in Ranchi once the buses reached, chances were that it may not have been successful or the quantum of seizure would have been less. Today's raid in Ramgarh is another unconventional spot for raid. Our focus is to intercept such illegal consignment at places along the transit routes where one wont anticipate a potential raid," he said. Detailing on the transit routes, he said, "Items coming from Bihar usually enter Jharkhand either through Koderma or Gaya route which converge at Barhi to further reach Ranchi and beyond. Similarly from Bengal, they either enter via Silli, Tamar on Ranchi border or via Kharagpur, Ghatshila to reach Jamshedpur and beyond. Govt's effort now is to plug those borders." Ranjan said his office is in the process of mandating eateries and restaurants to retain bonafide bills of milk, paneer and milk products which are used by them on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. "This will add a deterrence ring on them to purchase adulterated items at a cheap rate and pass it to customers. As per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India norms, any food item which is being transported must have a valid certificate declaring it as fit and transportation with other details. Also, it should have proper packaging with details mandated under the food safety act," he said.
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
GST inspector held in Haryana's Palwal while accepting bribe: Anti-Corruption Bureau
Faridabad (Hry), Jun 2 (PTI) The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Faridabad arrested a female GST inspector of the office of the Palwal district excise and taxation commissioner on Monday while she was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 in lieu of issuing a GST number to a complainant, an official said. According to a statement issued by the ACB, accused Sumitra was also arrested in Panipat in 2022 while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh, along with co-accused ETO Roshan Lal. A senior ACB officer said in the Panipat case, a chargesheet was filed against both the accused in July 2022 and the matter is still sub-judice.
