The Odisha government launched a stringent probe into alleged illegal coal mining activities in Sundargarh district. Minister of Mines Bibhuti Bhushan Jena and Forest, Environment, and Climate Change (MoFE&CC) Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia have spearheaded this initiative by visiting the Hemgiri block in Gopalpur to assess the situation on Friday.

The Odisha government launched a stringent probe into alleged illegal coal mining activities in Sundargarh district. Minister of Mines Bibhuti Bhushan Jena and Forest, Environment, and Climate Change (MoFE&CC) Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia have spearheaded this initiative by visiting the Hemgiri block in Gopalpur to assess the situation on Friday.

Sundargarh district Collector responded to earlier reports by ordering raids on local sponge factories and coal washeries. In addition, a nine-member enforcement team from the state Mines Department is tasked with ground-level investigations. So far, approximately 10,000 tonnes of illegally mined coal ore have been recovered and confiscated.

“The Mohan Majhi government in Odisha will never give patronage to any sort of corruption, illegal mining activities, and smuggling of minerals. If mineral theft is occurring anywhere, this government’s priority is to prevent it,” Mines Minister Jena expressed.

“We have to stringently punish those who are involved in the illegal activity. The time has come to arrest the wrongdoers who have been looting valuable minerals for the last several years. Certainly, they will be put behind bars,” the MoFE&CC Minister said.

“Involvement of the Department officials, if any, will also be taken seriously. Illegal mining activities were being suppressed during the previous government. The officials were being silenced and even threatened, which was not being reported by the media. After the new government assumed power, things are coming to the fore,” Minister Khuntia stated.

“Those persons who are involved in illegal mining have caused huge loss of revenue and damaged the environment, and will not be spared. They will be punished in such a manner that nobody else will ever dare to do this in the future,” the Forest Minister added.