2 weeks Ago By Express News Service
ROURKELA: Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena and Forest Minister Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia on Friday inspected the forests in Hemgir block from where massive illegal coal mining was detected by the Sundargarh administration earlier this month. The two ministers visited Telendihi, Bhograkachhar and Jamkani forests under Gopalpur range along with Aryan Coal Beneficiation Pvt Ltd (ACBPL) unit at Kanika. Singkhuntia said illegal mining was going on in the forests for the past 15 to 20 years and during the previous BJD government’s rule, people and the media did not report it fearing the mining mafia.
“After the BJP government came to power in the state, theft of minerals is coming to the fore. Those involved in the loot of natural resources and causing losses to the state exchequer would get exemplary punishment,” he said. Similarly, Jena said the BJP government has taken a strong view of illegal mining.
A detailed inquiry is being conducted and those involved in the illegal act would not be spared. On April 4, a team of Sundargarh administration first detected massive illegal coal mining inside Telendihi revenue forest. Subsequently, unauthorised coal mining was unearthed in Ratansara and Bhograkachhar forests.
The administration found illegally-mined pits and coal dumps besides an unauthorised brick kiln with above two lakh finished bricks in Bhograkachhar forest. Over the next few days, the district administration conducted mapping of the affected forests with the help of drones to analyse the quantum of illegal mining and coal theft. So far, Hemgir police has arrested four villagers for engaging in manual digging of coal using labourers and supplying coal to brick kilns along Odisha-Chhattisgarh border.
On April 16, the administration raided ACBPL unit at Kanika and found over 10,000 tonne of coal stacked illegally on a separate plot of the company without permission. Pending inquiry, the Mines department has suspended the license of ACBPL. The ministers were accompanied by deputy Speaker and Talsara MLA Bhabani Shankar Bhoi, RN Pali legislator DC Tanti, Jharsuguda MLA Tankadhar Tripathy, in-charge Sundargarh collector Ashutosh Kulkarni, ADM (revenue) Abhimanyu Majhi, director of mines Rohit Kumar Lenka, deputy director of mines, Rourkela Bimbadhar Sethi and Sundargarh DFO Pradeep Mirase.
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