Bhubaneswar, July 1: The Congress today demanded a CBI inquiry into the mining scam though a vigilance team reached Keonjhar to inquire into the illegal mining at Uliburu.
The vigilance swung into action after reports had confirmed that iron ore worth Rs 1,800 crore was exported from the mine between 2004 and 2009 without valid licence.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Jaydev Jena said: “The vigilance is not the competent authority to probe into the mining scam as it would not dare to lodge an FIR against the chief minister, who was heading the forest department when the mining scam had taken place.”
A official in Uliburu mine said one BK Mines had undertaken mining on 35 hectares, of which 29 hectares are owned by the revenue department and the forest department is the owner of the rest.
The Congress, which till now had been shy of taking up the mining scam seriously, today launched a scathing attack on the government. “Around one lakh tonnes of minerals were looted between 2004 and 2009 from this mine. All these activities had taken place just 2km from Barbil town. Even the then divisional forest officer and the deputy director of mines remained mute spectators to the illegal mining.”
Jena said the vigilance department worked under the general administration department, which was also headed by the chief minister. “At this juncture, no one can expect a fair probe into the mining scam,” he said.
Jena said the mine owners, who had looted the state and against whom Rs 70,000 crore fine had been imposed, have applied for the renewal of their mining lease. “The government should not renew their mining lease. All their licences should be cancelled,” he said.
In another development, the vigilance team today started verifying various documents pertaining to the excessive mining of minerals outside the lease area. On June 29, the state government ordered a vigilance probe into the issue after revenue minister Surjya Naryan Patro received a report from the Kenojhar district administration that the company had gone beyond the lease areas to excavate the iron ore.
