The Mining minister Gyatri Prajapati who is facing lokayukta probe into illegal mining case faced the ire of opposition members who created a ruckus in the state Vidhan Sabha saying precious natural resources were being extricated illegally “under the eyes of those who are supposed to protect it.”
The minister vehemently denied any illegal mining in the state and said because of strong monitoring the number of pattas (licence) for mining in the state has come down from 2407 to 1613. Dissatisfied with the Minister’s reply BSP members staged a noisy walkout of the House.
Replying to a question from BJP member Suresh Rana the minister said due to the court’s intervention the government could not cancel the old pattas in 16 districts. “A six-member high powered committee has been set up in all the districts to monitor illegal mining,” he said. But the BJP and the BSP members said that illegal mining is rampant in the state leading to financial loss to the state exchequer.
The House, however, witnessed ugly scenes when the Minister alleged that Suresh Rana’s brother was involved in illegal mining. The statement was stoutly opposed by the BJP members. In a counter Rana, without taking any names attacked the minister saying it is surprising that a person who was on the BPl list is now a person of Rs 1000 crore. “None of my brother is in the mining business. The minister is taking the name of my brother just to threaten me for raising the issue in the House,” Rana said.
leader of the opposition Swami Prasad Maurya said that when the minister himself is saying that brother of a MlA is involved in the mining then it seems that the government was protecting the illegal mining.
BJP members alleged that even officials scared to take action against the illegal mining and quoted the name of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal who was suspended for taking action against sand mining.