ROURKELA | Oct 06, 2015: In what appeared to be another instance of illegal mining in Koida mining circle of Sundargarh district, villagers exposed huge stock of iron ore hidden under earth near Renjda railway siding, about 100 km from here.

Deputy Director of Mines (DDM), Koida, Salil Behera on Monday sent a team to the spot to verify the allegation of illegal stock of iron ore.

Sources said, the villagers and some labourers at the siding informed BJP’s Bonai organisational district president Manoj Pradhan about the hidden iron ore.

Pradhan claimed that about 30,000 tonnes of iron ore were hidden in four large pits outside the boundary of the railway siding. A mining mafia has monopoly over loading and transportation operations of iron ore for nearly a decade. The company floated by the mafia as Mata Dadhimati Transport was later renamed as Mata Dadhimati Metallic Minerals.

Pradhan said it appeared that the ‘illegal’ stocks were hurriedly hidden and levelled with earth before the visit of MB Shah Commission and Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court.

Talking to this paper, Koida DDM claimed that the stocks were not illegal and were kept within the authorised area of the siding. The DDM justified his claim stating that they have records in this regard.

As to why the stocks were hidden, the Deputy Director of Mines said he is awaiting the verification team’s report. He insisted that it was a public railway siding used by many transporters.

Meanwhile, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said after receiving complaints from villagers, he informed the local mining authorities and police, but they are trying to hush up the matter. It shows the audacity of the Government officers to connive with mining mafia in scant regard to the direction of MB Shah Commission to check illegal mining, Oram added.

(Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/)