Illegal mining and extortion in it’s trade is rampant in the State and that mining minister, Gyatri Prajapati is well aware of the above has reportedly surfaced during further probe into the said matter by lokayukt, Justice (Retd) NK Mehrotra. Sources said that five persons, whose names were taken by senior survey officer (mining)of Sonebhadra, Ram Nath Yadav during his interrogation turned-up before Mehrotra here on Thursday afternoon. Interestingly, in one voice, all of them denied allegations against them and claimed that it was Ram Nath Yadav, who was patronising illegal mining and extorting money from the operators.
They claimed that their name came just as they raised their voice against Ram Nath Yadav, and had also refused to take `share’ from the VIP (extortion) offered to them by Ram Nath Yadav. Sources claimed that one of the leader belonging to Hindu Jagran Manch, revealed that it was Ram Nath who extort money from the truck drivers and when he raised the voice against it, he first offered money to him and when he refused, he also lodged a case against him with the local police of making an attempt on his life. The said leader argued that Ram Nath was having a security of more than 100 home guards at the site than how anyone could attack him.
Another leader of Bharatiya Janta Party, whose name was also taken by Ram Nath as one of the member of syndicate involved in illegal trade, while denying allegations on him, disclosed that Ram Nath stopped every truck and in the name of checking permit, and took Rs 200 from every truck and later also extort money if any of the vehicle was found to be over-loaded. A student leader from Sonebhadra, also supported the statement of BJP leader and said that illegal mining has been done by local officials including Ram Nath.
Sources also said that a audio tape which has been handed over to Mehrotra by two scribes who recorded their statements on Wednesday, besides comfirming of illegal mining and collection of VIP and that too in the knowledge of mining minister Gyatri Prajapati, also revealed that a prominent company, which is very close to former Bahujan Samaj Party government, had also given a big amount in the present ministry. In the tape, a senior officer was said to be informing his sub-ordinates that he got a signal from the government not to collect any VIP from the trucks carrying material for the said company as the collection has been already made at the higher level.
Meanwhile, Mehrotra, who summoned the information whether any sitting MlA had taken lease of mining anywhere in the state got the reply of 27 districts. Sources said that the reply confirmed that MlA Uma Shankar, who recently lost his membership from the State Assembly on recommendation of lokayukta, had taken a lease of 1.50 acres in Robertsganj at Sonebhadra, in the name of his company CS Infra Construction, in which he has shown himself as Managing Director. He also hold another mining lease of 2.50 acres in his own name. Similarly, another MlA Ramesh Chandra Pandey, is having mining lease of 1.50 acres in his name in Sonebhadra. lastly, MlA Chandra Bhan Singh, had taken mining lease in his name in Chitrakut. lokayukta, is now reportedly waiting for the report from remaining districts.