Naveen shielding mining scam perpetrators, says BJP

The Opposition BJP has accused the Naveen Patnaik led government in Orissa of offering protection as well as cooperation to the top politicians and bureaucrats allegedly involved in the illegal mining activities in the state.

The BJP which had deployed a fact finding team to the mining areas at Joda and Barbil alleged that illegal mining was being carried out in forest land in blatant violation of the forest laws.

Terming the state government's probe into the mining scam as a mere eyewash, the BJP reiterated its demand for a CBI enquiry.

Addressing reporters here, Balbir Punj, the convener of BJP's fact finding team, said, “A mining scandal of such a magnitude would not have been possible in Orissa without the protection and cooperation of the top politicians and officials. The big fishes in the scam have been unscathed while the small fishes have been made scapegoats.”

“The state government is yet to confiscate any equipment or truck involved in the illegal mining activities”, he added.

If the chief minister in innocent, then he should welcome our demand of a CBI probe into the mining scam instead of terming our demand as politically motivated, said Punj. The fact finding team of the BJP, which comprised senior BJP leaders like Balbir Punj, Chandan Mitra, Dharmendra Pradhan and Suresh Pujari, visited the mining areas of Ram Bahadur Thakur Limited, Essel Mining, Rungta Mines and Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) at Joda and Barbil in Keonjhar district.

Speaking on the occasion, senior BJP leader Chandan Mitra said, “What is absolutely shocking is the manner in which illegal mining is being encouraged by the Orissa government despite vehement agitation by the BJP. It appears that all roads of corruption and mis-governance in Orissa lead to Naveen Niwas,”

The BJP has decided to present a memorandum to the Prime Minister in this regard, Mitra pointed out.

The BJP has also decided to raise the issues of mining scam, farmers suicides and irregularities in allotment of land to the proposed Vedanta University project in Orissa in both the houses of Parliament in its forthcoming winter session.

The BJP leaders demanded cancellation of the MoU (memorandum of understanding) signed by the Orissa government with Vedanta for setting up a university at Puri.

“There is no merit in allotting prime agricultural land for the Vedanta University project. The entire exercise is against the interests of the poor and marginal farmers. We demand the cancellation of MoU signed by the Orissa government with Vedanta”, said Punj.

Commenting on cases of farmers' suicides in Orissa, he said, “The condition of the farmers in Orissa has gone from bad to worse under the Naveen Patnaik led government. On an average, one farmer has died in every two days under Naveen's regime.”