RANCHI: In an embarrassment to the JMM-led government in Jharkhand, the ruling party's legislator Sita Soren has alleged that water, forest and land resources are getting degraded due to "corrupt practices" by a section of officers and urged Governor Ramesh Bais to protect the natural assets in the state.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA from Jama claimed that she had raised the issue in the assembly but did not get any satisfactory reply.
"I had raised this issue (degradation of environmental resources and corruption) through a call attention motion in the assembly. But, I was not given any satisfactory reply.
"Corrupt officers are given protection in the state. Forest land is being encroached by coal companies but no one is protesting," Soren said after meeting the governor on Friday.
Notably, Coal India's subsidiary Central Coalfields Ltd chairman-cum-managing director PM Prasad denied allegations of violation of land laws for mining projects.
"Currently no land (law) violation is reported from any mine in eight districts under the CCL jurisdiction. There were some issues with five blocks in the past but they are all closed right now," he said.
Sita Soren, who is JMM supremo Shibu Soren's daughter-in-law and Chief Minister Hemant Soren's sister-in-law, had raised the issue of "corrupt practices" in the budget session of the state assembly last month and also staged a dharna outside the House on March 24, demanding action against the coal miner.
"A 7-km road passes through eight hectares of forest land in the Amrapali project area. We are using the existing road. CCL has neither built it nor cut a single tree," Prasad added.