Bhubaneswar: In a bid to curb illegal mining of minor minerals, state government has created enforcement cells in 144 tehsils, Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Sudam Marndi told Assembly Wednesday.
The Revenue department has also issued a notification in this regard, Wednesday. One revenue inspector (RI) and an amin will be deployed in each of the enforcement cell for better management of mineral resources and augmentation of revenue from minor mineral sources. The cell will be headed by additional tehsildar, said the minister.
The government has also created additional 144 RI and as many amin posts for the purpose, he said.
The highest of 15 cells have been created in Mayurbhanj district, followed by Ganjam (13), Bolangir (10), Khurda, Kalahandi & Sundargarh (8 each), Cuttack (7), Balasore, Bargarh & Sonepur (6 each), Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Koraput, Nayagarh, Dhenkanal & Rayagada (5 each), Kendrapara (4), Boudh, Sambalpur & Jharsuguda (3 each), Angul, Bhadrak & Nabarangpur (2 each) and Deogarh, Kandhamal and Gajapati (one each).
Alleging that minor minerals are being looted resulting huge loss of revenue to the state, opposition BJP and Congress members in Assembly demanded strong action against the persons involved in such practices.
BJP members made a noisy walkout protesting failure of the government to take action against the officials and mafia involved in loot of minor minerals.
The BJP members walked out after the minister failed to state specifically the measures taken by the government while replying to a debate on an adjournment motion on “huge loss of revenue due to illegal mining and action taken after the secret of Dhankari hill was exposed’’.