4 months ago
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The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) connected Monday (January 19, 2026) demanded State Steel and Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena’s resignation, citing ED raids astatine his designated representative’s premises implicit his engagement successful amerciable and unauthorised excavation and merchantability of insignificant minerals successful Ganjam district.
BJD person Lenin Mohanty, successful a property conference, said the caller ED raids successful Ganjam intelligibly established the Mines Minister Jena’s ain representative’s engagement successful soil theft, thereby exposing his relation successful the matter.
“In a ceremonial missive addressed to the Ganjam territory collector, the Mines Minister had authorised Sunil Patra arsenic his typical successful the mining, constabulary and tribunal departments. After Sunil Patra’s engagement successful amerciable soil mining was exposed during the ED raid, the Minister’s nonstop relation with the amerciable enactment became evident,” Mr. Mohanty claimed.
Incidents of soil and mineral theft had risen sharply successful Odisha since the BJP came to power, Mr. Mohanty added. “The BJD has consistently pointed retired that specified theft is taking spot with the progressive encouragement of the ruling party,” helium said.
Citing authoritative figures, the BJD said gross from insignificant minerals had fallen steeply from ₹1,485 crore successful 2023–24 to ₹600 crore successful 2024–25. Similarly, gross from large minerals declined from ₹50,000 crore to ₹34,000 crore during the aforesaid period.
“This gross nonaccomplishment is highly unfortunate for the State. Rampant soil and mineral theft has besides led to a crisp summation successful the prices of cardinal operation materials,” the enactment said.
Despite repeated representations and demands for strict action, the authorities had remained inactive and indifferent, Mr. Mohanty added. The determination enactment reiterated its request for Mr. Jena’s contiguous removal from the Council of Ministers.
The ED’s Bhubaneswar Zonal Office had carried retired an extended hunt operation nether the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, astatine much than 25 premises crossed Ganjam territory linked to individuals progressive successful amerciable soil and achromatic chromatic mining, arsenic good arsenic contractors and proprietors associated with state liquor (Bhati) operations.
“During the search, currency amounting to ₹2.63 crore on with respective incriminating documents, important spot records, and agreements including powerfulness agreements and mining leases executed by the individuals successful question were recovered and seized. Several precocious extremity benami vehicles were unearthed successful the hunt enactment which were obtained done the proceeds of crime,” the bureau said successful a statement.
As per the ED, the premises covered were linked to brokers, syndicates having superior transgression antecedents and different connected concern partners of them. “Persons who, by utilizing their musculus powers forcibly conducting amerciable mining and merchantability of insignificant minerals by exploiting and terrorising radical successful their areas were besides raided,” it said.
The Comptroller and Auditor General had besides flagged rampant amerciable mining on the stream furniture of Rushikulya, Bahuda, and Bada River successful Ganjam territory causing immense nonaccomplishment to authorities exchequer.
The modus operandi indicated that mining leases were obtained nether the names of assorted leaseholders unlawfully and forcibly by syndicate associates by offering a committee astatine a predetermined rate, said ED.
“Mining licenses that are issued successful the names of different leaseholders are not transferable and prohibited nether law. This unauthorized usage of licenses which are successful the sanction of the different lease holders, let members of the syndicate to extract much soil oregon blackstone than permitted by authorities regulations,” it elaborated.
