Odisha scared of CBI probe in coalgate: Congress

Alleging that the hasty decision taken by Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) to scrap its agreement with the Sainik Mining and Allied Services Ltd (SMASL) has proved irregularities in the pact, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik said the State Government is scared of CBI probe into all coal block allocations since 1993.

 Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should explain to the State’s people the reason behind such a hurried step if the deal was transparent, Patnaik told mediapersons here on Monday. He demanded cancellation of  allocation of other coal blocks.

 Referring to a recent decision of the State Government not to lease out any mines henceforth to any private parties and run all the mines through the OMC, Niranjan said the Congress had been demanding this since 2006-07. But the decision stinks of another scam as it has left out those mines for which the State Government has already recommended the names of private parties to the Centre, he said and wanted such recommendations should also be withdrawn. If the State Government is so transparent, it should prove it by cancelling the recommendations, he said.

 Patnaik alleged that the State has lost hundreds of crores of rupees by signing MoU with different companies for construction of ports on the Odisha coast without floating tenders. Stating that largescale irregularities have come to light in such practices, Patnaik said the company with which the State Government had signed MoU for setting up the Kirtania port has sold it to another party for ` 200 crore.

 The Congress will launch its Parivartan Yatra from Swaraj Ashram, Cuttack, to Bakulban in Sakshigopal from Tuesday to October 9 (birth anniversary of Utkalmani Gopabandhu). The yatra, to be led by Patnaik, will be attended by many senior leaders, MPs, MLAs, former ministers, former MPs, ex-MLAs, youth and student leaders.

 The welfare schemes launched by the Centre and the scams in procurement of dal, mines and allocation of coal blocks and in the implementation of MGNREGS will be placed before the people during the yatra, Patnaik said.