The Congress and BJP on Tuesday reiterated their demand for a CBI probe into the multi-crore mining scam as the State investigating agency has failed to bring the culprits into book.
Initiating the debate on the demand for grants of the Steel and Mines Department for 2013-14, Naba Kishore Das of the Congress said the State Government is a party to the scam as it allowed the illegal mining by mafia
The Government has admitted that 36 lessees have been illegally operating in forest areas by violating Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The Government did nothing after issuing show cause notices to them, he said.
Alleging that the illegal mining was going on with the connivance of the Government, leader of the BJP Legislature Party KV Singhdeo said not a single person has been proceeded under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
“I have pointed out time and again about connivance of the Government in the mining scam. This is precisely the reason for which not a single person has been criminally prosecuted so far in the mining cases,” Singhdeo said.
He said several mines are illegally operated by people claiming to have power of attorney (POA) of the lessees who are either dead or staying abroad. One of them is Shakti Ranjan Das who is claiming to have POA of five lessees - Rambahadur Thakur (RBT), Arjun Ladha, BC Deb, Jyoti Mines and Mineral and Jyoti International. Alleging that Das has accumulated huge assets, Singhdeo demanded an inquiry into his income by the Income Tax department.