The main opposition Congress on Monday staged a walkout in the Assembly as the Steel and Mines Minister Rajanikanta Singh rejected its demand for a CBI probe into the multi-crore mining scam.
The House on Monday discussed the issue on the admissibility of an adjournment motion relating to the loot of minerals as proved from the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) survey.
Participating in the debate, Congress Chief Whip Prasad Harichandan, Naba Kishore Das and Anup Sai alleged that the DGPS data had vindicated their party’s allegation of large scale illegal mining and loot of valuable minerals.
The data showed that mines were explored beyond their lease hold areas. However, the Government was conducting a resurvey of the mines area as part of dilatory tactics to shield the scam in view of the election which is round the corner.
The Congress Chief Whip alleged that during the fixation of the mine boundaries, no joint verification was made and no index pillar was put up by the mine owners at the transit point and the Government did not take any step to enforce it. He said that that 2010 DGPS survey had already proved that there was illegal mining in 105 out of 165 mines. Describing the mining scam as the greatest scam of the century, Naba Kishore Das and Anup Sai demanded a CBI inquiry into the issue. Questioning the authenticity of the boundary lines as surveyed by the Government, they said when many posts of qualified engineer, surveyor and draughtsman were lying vacant, how the Government could finalise the boundary limits of mines.
BJP floor leader KV Singh Deo was critical of the State Government’s clandestine mining operation. He alleged illegal mining was conducted by the lease holders outside the leasehold areas.
In his reply, Steel and Mines Minister Singh said that since the State Government had already initiated strong action against those violating the mining laws and steps were being taken to have a joint resurvey of the mining boundaries at the instance of the Justice MB Shah Commission now probing the mining scam, there is no need for a CBI probe.
However, he admitted that there was around five per cent deviation between the original cadastral map and the DGPS map in either side. He assured that the joint survey in respect of 36 mines would be completed soon.
Besides, the Minister said that as per the instruction of the IBM, the process to prepare the new map of the mining areas with the help of modern technology of the Odisha Space Applications Center has been taken up by the State Government. The new technology would ensure exact boundary of mining areas through DGPS. Dissatisfied with the reply, the Congress members staged a walkout.