No political link in illegal mining in Odisha
Unlike Karnataka, there is no evidence of politicians’ link in the illegal mining activities in Odisha state, Justice M B Shah Commission has found. It, however, noted involvement of state bureaucrats in the irregularities.
“In states like Karnataka there was direct evidence of politicians’ hand in illegal mining. We did not find any such evidence here. However, we noticed involvement of bureaucrats.
Illegal mining would not have been possible without the connivance of the bureaucrats,” Justice Shah told reporters here on Monday, winding up an almost week-long visit to the eastern state.
During its stay, the commission probing into illegal mining activities in different mineral rich states in the country, visited the mining belt of tribal-dominated Keonjhar district for an on the spot investigation.
The Commission also conducted two public hearings - one in Keonjhar and another in capital Bhubaneswar. It held a high level review meeting in the capital with senior bureaucrats, including chief secretary Bijoy Patnaik.
Justice Shah said, the state government had taken some steps to curb illegal mining. However, it advised the government to limit the exploration of mineral resources so that they can be preserved for future generations.
The opposition parties like Congress and BJP, who participated in the public hearing and submitted memoranda, appealed to the Commission to order a CBI probe into the mining scam in the state. They told the commission that the vigilance probe ordered by the Odisha government was not enough.
