By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/BARBIL/KOIRA: The helping hand extended by the famous mines mafia of Joda-Barbil-Koira region of Odisha, the much talked about Ahluwalia Brothers read Kamaljit Singh Ahluwalia and Prashant Ahluwalia for promotion of sports management has raised many eyebrows.
Sources said KJSA Group and its subsidiary Kaypee Enterprises which runs Nuagaon Iron Ore Mines, Thakurani Iron Ore Mines, Gonua, Jaldihi under both Joda and Koira mining circle of Odisha’s mineral rich Keonjhar and Sundargarh have looted crores of rupees of minerals but its CSR work is very poor in the State.
“But with mining auction going on and their mines getting expired by March 31, 2020, it was a calculated move to draw the attention of the State Government, so that they would continue to remain as highest bidder for those mines, presently hold by the Group,” added a sources in Bhubaneswar.
On October 26, the KJSA Group along with XUMB, France’s Emlyon Business School, Odisha’s Sports and Youth Services Department have jointly started a certificate program in Sports Management. The initiate has been coined as XEBS-AHLUWALIA Center of Excellence in Sports Management, Bhubaneswar.
Kamaljit and Prashant Ahluwalia running KJSA Mines, Kaypee Enterprise Pvt Ltd and Hima Ispat Pvt Ltd based in Keonjhar-Sundargarh range of Odisha. Apart from iron ore and manganese mines in Joda and Koira mining circles, Alhuwalias owns a sponge iron factory and a mining crusher unit. Besides, Kamal Sponge Steel & Power Ltd based at Satna-Madhya Pradesh with interests in sponge iron production and iron ore mining have applied for coal blocks in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. MP and Chhattisgarh business basically deal by their younger brother Pawan Ahluwalia.
Earlier, rampant illegal mining reported from Thakurani and Nuagaon iron ore mines owned by Ahluwalia family. Alhuwalia had been in dock for violation of Rule 37 of Mineral Concession Rules- 1960.KJS Ahluwalia has the lease right for Nuagaon and Panduliposi mines in Joda circle while Kaypee Enterprise, where Prashant Ahluwalia holds a key position, owns the Thakurani mines in the same area. CBI raided several times on twin brothers while Justice MB Shah Commission penalised it for illegal mining.
“Due to deforestation in various hills, 80 per cent of streams have gone dry. The water flow in Deogarha’s Padhanpata, Sundargarh’s Khandadhar and Keonjhar’s Sanaghagara and Badaghagara waterfalls has decreased by 50 per cent in last 10 years,” an environmental activist informed in Joda-Barbil.
“The Government had earlier admitted that the water-flow in the Padhanpata waterfall at Deogarh had decreased drastically due to destruction of forests. But on the contrary, it showing favour to KJSA Group,” a local activist in Koira said.
Locals in Joda, Barbil Koira areas however expressed concerns over the dwindling of the wild animals and the increasing man-animal conflict in human habitations due to water and fodder scarcity in jungles and hills. “The residents of Joda will suffer acute water scarcity in near future due to illegal mining work of KJSA Group,”
Sources closely monitoring the auction process of 22 from Odisha out of 250 Iron Ore Mines Lease will expire on 31 March, 2020 all over the country, however apprehended that auction process will not be completed before 31 March 2020.
“If auction will be completed getting statutory clearances will take long time even years together,” sources said adding it will take at least three long years to get other statutory licenses like Forest Clearance, Environment Clearance and a host of other clearances.
Odisha, being one of the top most leaders in Iron Ore production, similar situation will arise in 2020-21 as majority of Iron Ore Mines will face stoppage due to expiring of Mining Lease on 31 March.
Some of the Private Mining Companies leases are not expiring on March 2020, so that these Mining Lease Holders can boost up their production to help out the Steel Makers.
Meanwhile, the Union government plans a slew of reforms in the mining sector, including giving a big push to commercial mining to help attract investment and improve mineral production in the country.
As part of this, highly placed sources said the government would discontinue the practice of offering mining rights for mineral resources, including coal, to companies for captive use. Instead, a new hybrid mining lease agreement would be framed under which companies would be free to use extracted mineral both for captive use of end use plants (power, steel, cement etc) and commercial sale in the open market.
A high level committee headed by NITI Aayog vice chairman and having top representation from ministries of finance, mines, coal and environment, has suggested that all mines hence forth be auctioned for commercial production. For companies taking mines largely for captive use, 50 per cent of production from those mines would be permitted to be sold in the open market under the new hybrid lease agreement.
Sources said the government has accepted these recommendations and necessary changes in mineral laws would be made to allow the reform measures to take shape.
The high level committee has suggested that changes in grant of mineral rights with the option to do both captive and commercial mining may be applied prospectively for all exploration and mining activities.
In addition to extraction of main mineral, the hybrid model will also allow leaseholders to extract other minerals found in their mine lease area on payment of 10 per cent of the quoted revenue share for the main mineral.
For existing captive mines allocated before the auction mechanism was made mandatory for grant of mineral leases, the high level committee has suggested the companies can use surplus mineral in their new end-use units formed under a joint venture agreement with a minimum 26 per cent shareholding.
Mining has been identified as a critical activity that needs a big push to help other capital intensive and employment generating industries. The sector is braving a slowdown that has seen declining investment and production.
This apart, company played a key role in Odisha mining scam and violated Mines and Minerals Act, Mines and Minerals Regulation Act of 1957’s section 21. The company involved in illegal mining, theft and transportation. The company has violated pollution control act of 1986, air pollution control act of 1981, water pollution control act of 1974 and forest rights act of 1980.
Companies were supposed to extract mining with clearance of air and water pollution control under various acts like Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and consent to operate under the Water (PCP) Act, 1974 and Air (PCP) Act, 1981.
The firm has been violating forest and wildlife laws .The Company, which is also creating air and water pollution while defying orders of Odisha State Pollution Control Board and Union Forest and Environment Ministry. Action should have taken against the company under Forest Conservation Act, 1980 and Odisha Forest Act-1972 and Mines and Minerals Act. But instead , the company got extension to run its closed mines.
Company which operating without valid consent to operate should have been issued closure directions or will be prosecuted as per the provisions in Water (PCP) Act, 1974 and Air(PCP) Act, 1981.While granting “consent to operate”, it will be ensured that the proponent has obtained all other statutory clearances under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.The Company has no respect to labour laws, they said.
