An unsolved mining scam mystery

Bhubaneswar: Considered as the “mother of all scams”, the Rs 3-lakh crore Odisha mining scam still remains an unsolved mystery. Mine owners, political masters and bureaucrats who allegedly patronised this gigantic loot of country’s precious mineral resources, still enjoy their freedom without any glitches.

The loopholes in the law, the unexpectedly lengthy judicial process and the non-seriousness of the administrative establishments both at the state and the Centre have virtually buried this scam beyond the possibility of a logical trial and bringing all the culprits into the book.

The enigmatic silence of political parties, including the BJP, to raise this issue post 2014 general elections has also contributed to the apprehension that this scam would go down in the history of modern India as yet another organised mega plunder of wealth.

The BJP had made the mining scam a major issue during the campaign for 2014 general elections. Union minister Rajanath Singh, who was then the president of the BJP, had assured a CBI probe into the Odisha mining scam if his party came to power.

Surprisingly enough, the Narendra Modi government has maintained a golden silence over the mining scam amid rumours that some of the BJP leaders of a neighbouring state have their own share in the shameful scam.

According to noted social activist and journalist Rabi Das who had knocked the doors of the Supreme Court seeking the constitution of an apex-court monitored Central Empowered Commi-ttee (CEC) to probe into the scam, although Justice M.B. Shah Commission of Inquiry had in its reports to the government strongly recommended for a CBI probe, the Modi government is still sitting over it in the pretext that the mining scam case is pending for disposal in the SC.

Apart from dragging its feet to take action as per the recommendation of the Shah Commission, the Union government has said on the record that a CBI probe into Odisha mining scam would affect the vigilance probe undertaken by the Odisha government — a stand that baffles many of the Odisha state BJP leaders as well as grassroots workers.

The CEC said a large number of mines operated in Odisha and other parts of the country after the expiry of mining lease period on the provision of deemed extension of mining lease as no decision was taken on application filed by the lease holders for renewal of the leases after expiry of the lease period.