Bhubaneswar: The Indian Railway was on Tuesday
dragged into the controversy relating to the multi-crore
mining scam in Orissa with opposition Congress and BJP
demanding a CBI probe to expose alleged link between railway
officials and mine mafia.
The state government, however, rejected the opposition
demand stating that Vigilance wing was competent to probe the
scam.
The demand was made in the assembly during a debate on
an adjournment motion on mining scam. "Railway officials are
hand-in-glove with mines mafia who looted valuable minerals,"
alleged Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan.
Initiating the debate, Harichandan pointed out how the
Orissa Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) during a
field visit to Banspani railway siding on January 22 found
15,000 MT of manganese stored illegally.
He wondered what action was taken against the railway
officials who transported smuggled minerals and how the
Vigilance Department could not detect it.
Holding both the Centre and the state government
responsible for the illegal mining activities in Orissa, the
BJP legislature party leader K V Singhdeo argued that the
matter needed a CBI probe as the vigilance sleuths were not
competent to inquire into role of central government officials
in the scam.
Though it had been about one year since the mines scam
came to light, the vigilance could register only nine cases
while no action was taken against any firm involved in illegal
mining activities, Singhdeo said.
Besides detection of smuggled minerals in the railway
siding at Bansapani, the government had also seized a huge
quantity of manganese and iron ore at another railway siding
located at Jurudhi in Keonjhar district yesterday, Harichandan
said.
Replying the debate, Steel and Mines minister Raghunath
Mohanty said the state government was taking steps to rectify
irregularities in the mining sector.
Claiming that the state vigilance was competent to probe
the matter and there was no need to hand over the case to CBI,
Mohanty said the opposition demand for a CBI probe was
politically motivated.
The opposition also alleged that certain companies were
illegally allowed to construct pipelines through the reserve
forest in Keonjhar district.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, March 09, 2010, 20:39