IBM Report: Wildlife Society of Orissa demands to seal Renjda Siding

Bhubaneswar, Dec 21: The Wildlife Society of Orissa held a press conference on the Renjda railway siding issue and discussed the IBM Report on the buried Iron Ore at Renjda Railway Siding in Sundargarh district.

The IBM Report had vindicated the stand of Shri Jual Oram who had written to the Minister of Steel and Mines regarding the lapses. The IBM report has pointed out the irregularities and the presence of buried Iron Ore, and has suggested that excavation by machines is necessary to determining the exact amount. However they have confirmed the presence of buried ore both at the railway siding and outside it.

The IBMteam had been accompanied by Officials of the District Mining Office, who had initially denied the existence of any such ore in their earlier reports.

The siding owner, the district administration and the government are on a massive cover up operation. If the contention that the ore is just residual waste of earlier period, than why are people being stopped from visiting the area?

The exposure of this buried ore reveals the fact that the mining scam is still going on in Odisha due to the active connivance of the local officials and higher ups in the Steel and Mines department.

The state government has not acted on its promise made in the ATR to the Shah Commission enquiry report that no illegal raising or transportation of minerals will be allowed in Odisha. No prompt action has been taken so far to seal the siding which reveals the nefarious motives of the state government.

The members of the society demanded – the entire Renjda Siding should be sealed by the District Collector and police be posted to ensure that nobody removes any stolen ore pending the IBM enquiry.

The entire Railway staff of the Siding station should be moved out, as all this had happened with their connivance.

A proper investigation should be made into the stock of iron ore lying unclaimed in various places of the State. There was a massive cover up in the region prior to the visit of MB Shah Commission and Central Empowered Committee of Supreme Court last year.

A CBI inquiry should be initiated as the State Government is privy to the going on and is in a massive cover up mode. The license of the illegal loading contractor should be cancelled forthwith.

There are similar stocks of Iron ore lying at various Railway Sidings and private plots all over the state. A huge stock of Ore is present by the side of the national highway at Barkote in Deogarh District.  The State government should take possession of all such unclaimed illegal stocks and auction it off in a proper manner.