"Sundergarh mineral loot case: Minister shocked after seeing illegal mining, remarks 'How can you tolerate this, Juhar to this land'
A minister was left speechless after witnessing illegal mining in Sundergarh, and criticized the situation, expressing his dismay and respect for the land."
"How are the district residents tolerating such large-scale mineral loot? I salute this land."
After witnessing the scale of mineral plunder in the Gopalpur area of Sundargarh on Friday, State Commerce, Transport, Steel, and Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena was left speechless and made such scathing remarks.
"Sundergarh: Minister shocked by massive mineral loot
State Commerce, Transport, Steel, and Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena was left speechless after witnessing the scale of mineral plunder in the Gopalpur area of Sundargarh. He remarked, "How are the district residents tolerating such large-scale mineral loot? I salute this land."
Reacting to the media, Minister Jena said, "There are blatant cases of illegal mining, involving many high-profile individuals. The media's efforts will not go in vain. We will take strict action against the mafia and officials involved in mineral loot."
When asked about the possibility of handing the case over to the CBI, the Minister replied, "The investigation is underway. If necessary, the government will consider handing the case over to the CBI."
"Two ministers, Commerce Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena and Forest Minister Ganesh Ram Khunti, visited the MCL area in Sundargarh district to inspect the illegal mining situation. They reached the area after a 2.5-hour delay and inspected the mining sites in the forest areas of Telenadihi, Ratansara, and Bhograkharsa.
The ministers, accompanied by local MLAs and officials, walked through the forest to inspect the massive illegal mining sites and stockpiles of coal. They also visited the Arya Coal Washery in Konika and inspected the illegal coal stockpiles.
The visit has sparked discussions and created a stir among mining and district administration officials. Many officials, including the Rourkela Additional District Magistrate, Sundargarh Additional District Magistrate, and Mining Director, were present during the ministers' visit."
The Global Coal Washery, located in Jura Bagh area of Belpahar, Jharsuguda district, has been a subject of controversy. Despite the state government's efforts to relocate the washery since 2013, it has continued to operate. The government had even provided an alternative site for relocation in 2020 and canceled the lease for the current site in 2021. However, the company has managed to stay in operation through various means, including obtaining a "consent to operate" from the State Pollution Control Board for another 5 years.
The washery's production capacity was initially 1.5 million metric tons per year, but it has been gradually increased to 4 million metric tons per year without proper authorization. Now, the washery's production has almost come to a standstill after MCL handed over the management of its own washery to Global. Despite this, many questions remain unanswered, such as the source of coal for the washery, the link between the stock coal and Sundargarh, and the safety of coal stored underground.
The article raises several concerns about the washery's operations and its impact on the environment and local communities. It also highlights the lack of transparency and accountability in the company's dealings. Overall, the article suggests that the Global Coal Washery has been operating with impunity, disregarding environmental and regulatory norms.
0 Comments