Odisha, Jharkhand agree to seal unwanted ore transport routes

Officials of Odisha and Jharkhand today agreed to seal unwanted routes connecting both the states in order to curb illegal transportation of minerals such as iron ore and manganese across the border. It was also decided that low-height barricades will be erected on such roads.

"We have identified six routes between the two states where mineral transportation will be permitted along with proper verification system such as check gates. Mineral transports in other routes will be considered as illegal," said U N Behera, state home secretary, after attending a meeting at Chaibasa in Jharkhand.

The senior officials of both the states today agreed upon setting up of low-height barricades on roads often used by truckers to avoid inspection, apart from sharing mineral movement data online, sources added.

The meeting, which was attended by mines secretary, home secretary and mines director of both states along with officials of forest, commercial tax and police department and collectors of mineral bearing districts in Odisha and Jharkhand, was third such meeting of the Inter State Coordination Committee, set up in February 2012.

The officials of both the states chalked out strategies to go for online sharing of information regarding minerals transported across the border through integration of i3MS (Integrated Mines and Minerals Management System) of Odisha with the online system of Directorate of Mines, Jharkhand.

It was decided to strengthen inter-state vigil at key areas and to establish more check gates. In the earlier meetings held at Jamshedpur and Keonjhar, the officials of Odisha had proposed to construct unified check gates at Murgabeda, Nalda (Keonjhar district), Tiring (Mayurbhanj district) and Jareikela (West Singbhum district).

Installation of joint unified check gates at Biramitrapur on NH-3, Taparia and Telijore was also proposed last year.