Centre mulls NIA probe into illegal mining

Even as the controversy surrounding the illegal mining activities in Orissa refuses to die, the Centre is mulling to launch an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the scam, the size of which is estimated at Rs five lakh crore.

A committee of Union ministers constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has recommended a probe by NIA into the scam which has caught the Orissa government in a tight spot, according to a release by the Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC).

The recommendation by the committee of ministers for an NIA probe follows persistent efforts of the Congress top brass in the state led by the veteran leader K P Singh Deo who had pitched for a CBI investigation into the irregularities.While production from various mines in the state has grown three-fold in the past three years, the number of tribal labourers engaged in these mines has drastically gone down due to increased mechanization.

Besides the illegal mining scam, the Centre has also initiated action in connection with the multi-crore coal scam which has rocked the Orissa assembly with the Congress MLAs adamant in their demand for the resignation of the two ministers- Pratap Jena and Badri Narayan Patra for their alleged involvement in the scam.The Coal ministry is understood to have kicked off the process of investigation into the coal scam. This comes close on the heels of the visit of the Union minister of state for coal Sriprakash Jaiswal to Orissa last week. During his visit, Jaiswal had advocated an enquiry into the scam by an independent agency.The scam related to siphoning of crores of rupees through supply of coal at concessional rate to bogus small scale industries.

The state government has suspended 11 officials embroiled in the coal scam based on the enquiry by the vigilance department but has given a clean chit to the two ministers, much to the ire of the Congress MLAs.

Similarly, in the illegal mining scam, the Vigilance department has registered 11 criminal cases pertaining to illegal mining since 2008-09. These cases have been registered against two joint directors of mines, five deputy director of mines, four mining officers, six mining inspectors of the mines department and one former director (mines).