By Our Correspondent
KOIRA/RAIKELA/BARBIL/BHUBANESWAR: With the Naveen Patnaik led BJD Government putting all its machineries to fight back the spread of COVID-19 outbreak and nationwide lockdown has been extended till May 3 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi forcing the Union Home Minister Amit Shah issuing fresh guidelines for industries and mines firms followed by SOP issued by Odisha Chief Secretary, Asit Tripathy, the Kolkata headquarters, Korp Resources (P) Ltd, which owns the Tantra Iron Ore block and Penguin Trading and Agencies Ltd, which owns Raikela mining block, under Koira circle of State’s Sundargarh-Keonjhar mineral bearing districts, allegedly not following COVID-19 guidelines and also violating labour, mines and minerals acts laws.
Locals in Koira, Tensa areas of Sundargarh alleged that these 2 mining firms are paying no heads to either the SOP of Union Home Ministry or Odisha Chief Secretary on COVID-19. Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs, had issued a revised advisory on Wednesday, allowing industrial and mining activities and transportations relating to it. The MHA had also issued SOP for industrial and mining settlements asking them to strictly follow it but it has no meaning in Odisha’s mining zone.
It may be noted here that, Union Steel-PNG Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Coal-Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Prahallad Joshi, Industry, Commerce and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar had jointly, time and again, advocating for safety measures of workers and employees working in Steel, Coal and Mining sectors but nothing has impacted on the management of Korp Resources (P) Ltd led by Praveen Kejriwal and Prahlad Roy Goenka and Penguin Trading and Agencies Ltd run by Nirmal Kumar Bathwal ,S. K. Gupta seems not bothering for it.
Sources these 2 mines firms and several other Industries , Mines, both Iron, Ore, Manganese and Coal, working in Joda-Barbil-Koira-Sunkinda regions of SundargarhKeonjhar-Sunkinda, Angul-Dhenkanal belt, Sambalpur-Jharsuguda belt, Kalinga Nagar and Sukinda belts of Jajpur , Rairangpur and Rajgangpur of Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh respectively are not following Government orders on COVID-19.
“We are working to ensure that supplies of essential products to the people are not disrupted. At the same time, we are ensuring safety workers and employees but if anyone found violating the COVID-19 guidelines in mining and industrial activities, stringent action will be taken,” said an official of Home Department in Bhubaneswar.
“These 2 mining firms have violated Mines and Minerals Act, Mines and Minerals Regulation Act of 1957’s section 21 and involved in illegal mining, theft and transportation. The companies 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,” an activist in Koira in Sundargarh said.
He also alleged that these mines firms have been violating forest and wildlife laws and 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.
“Mines 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.
“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,” he informed.
“ 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 Korp Resources (P) Ltd, which owns the Tantra Iron Ore block and Penguin Trading and Agencies Ltd, which owns Raikela mining block, under Koira circle of State’s Sundargarh-Keonjhar mineral bearing districts,” another activist said in Barbil in Keonjhar.
Locals in Koira, Tensa, Joda, Barbil 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 Koira, Tensa and Raikela will suffer acute water scarcity in near future due to illegal mining work of Korp Resources (P) Ltd, which owns the Tantra Iron Ore block and Penguin Trading and Agencies Ltd, which owns Raikela mining block, under Koira circle of State’s Sundargarh-Keonjhar mineral bearing districts.
