BHUBANESWAR: General secretary of the Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) and Jharsuguda MLA Naba Kishore Das has demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the multi-crore mining scam and the undue favour shown by the State Government to a private mining company for kickbacks.
Vigilance probe has been ordered by the State Government to divert the people’s attention from the systematic loot by some mine owners and protect their godfathers in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Das told newspersons here on Sunday.
Das alleged that 157 private firms had been given mining lease during the last eight years. Besides, lease period of 200 mines will be over during the tenure of this Government, he said. Alleging that none of them had set up plants for value addition inside the State, Das said that these companies were being allowed free trading of mineral resources without contributing anything to the State exchequer. He demanded that mining lease given to the companies should be cancelled if they do not go for value addition inside the State.
The Congress MLA alleged that the State Government had favoured private companies by ignoring public sector undertaking, Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC).