By Our Correspondent
KOIRA.BONAI/BHUBANESWAR: The Sundargarh Collector Dr Subhankar Mohapatra along with senior district administration officials were conducted raids on Sanindpur Iron and Manganese Ore Mines owned by M/s Grewal Minerals and Metals LLP (formerly M/s National Enterprises).
This was for the second time in this month; raids were conducted by senior officials on Sanindpur Iron and Manganese Ore Mines, which was closed since past few months.
Mine Operator: M/s Grewal Minerals and Metals LLP (formerly M/s National Enterprises). The lease area is approximately 70.917 hectares.
Location: Sanindpur village, under Koira tehsil in the Koira mining sector, Sundargarh district.
Main Allegations: Illegal mining and dumping outside the approved lease boundary, including into DLC (District Level Committee) forest land, in violation of the Van-Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan Adhiniyam, 1980 (Forest Conservation Act) and MMDR Act provisions.
Timeline of Actions:
December 2025 onwards: Forest Department (DFO Bonai) flagged illegal mining outside the lease area. Mining and transportation were halted for several months.
December 31, 2025 – early 2026: Joint inspections by revenue, forest, and mining officials. Reports indicated ~1.756 hectares of mining outside the lease boundary. Boundary pillars (including critical tri-junction Pillar A) were allegedly disturbed/shifted, with discrepancies in DGPS/ORSAC surveys.
April 8–9, 2026: Koira Tahasildar (Nirmal Biswal) submitted a detailed joint enquiry report to the Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Sundargarh, with copies to DDM Koira and DFO Bonai. Specific plots with illegal mining/dumping were listed (e.g., in Mouza-Sanindpur, various khata/plot numbers in Gochar, Pahad, Goda categories).
May 2, 2026 (Saturday raid): A team led by the Sub-Collector (with officials from Mines, Forest, and Revenue departments) conducted an on-site raid/inspection at Sanindapur. This followed allegations of operations beyond the lease boundary. A detailed investigation was initiated.
Mining operations and transportation remain suspended pending investigation.The Deputy Director of Mines (DDM) Koira has stopped activities until findings are confirmed.
Expected actions: Show-cause notice, penalties (potentially up to 3x the value of illegally extracted minerals), compensatory afforestation, NPV for forest land, and possible lease suspension/cancellation. Criminal proceedings under forest laws are possible if violations are proven willful.
A senior company officer denied the allegations, claiming all activities were within the approved lease as per ORSAC/DGPS maps, no pillars were shifted, and they felt harassed. They planned to respond after reviewing the official report.
