Rampant coal theft continues unabated in the lakhanpur and Ib Valley areas under the Mahanadi Coal Fields ltd (MCl) in Jharsuguda district. During night time, local sources alleged, some trucks load coal and leave for railway siding to transport it. These vehicles dodge the process by securing mining transit pass and MCl gate pass from the railway siding, sources said.
A number of trucks carry tons of coal out to illegal coal depot from where it is transported to brick manufacturing units and other industries in the district. It is alleged that the weigh bridge clerk, security personnel and local police have unholy nexus with coal mafias for black marketing of coal causing a huge loss to the exchequer.
MCl officials and the police assure every time that necessary action would be taken against such thefts and claim to have deployed ample number of private security personnel. But time and again such allegations surface in local circles and things go back to square one after a temporary lull period.
Not just trucks but even bicycle carriers can be openly seen in broad daylight carrying coal along the road that passes through the local police station. Despite tall claims by the administration and the MCl, theft of coal is a regular affair in the district and everyone appears to have tacitly accepted such blatant abuse of tax payer’s money, sources said.
It is however true that police administration and security personnel are sporadically seen conducting raids in which action has been taken against some fringe units but the more influential players are never nabbed. While the supply side has numerous leaks, the demand side also goes unchecked by the administration and many local industries located in the district are said to be taking advantage of the black market.
MCl Project Officer KN Singh said that of late, unprecedented numbers of steps have been taken to curb this menace and in the days to come many more steps would be taken to put a halt on such incidents.