KalingaTimes Correspondent
Bhubaneswar, Oct 4: Better late than never. Orissa government has finally decided to constitute a special enforcement squad to conduct frequent raids to check theft and illegal transportation of various minerals in different parts of the State.
The decision about formation of the special squad was taken at a review meeting organised by the Steel and |
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Mines Department of the State government here on Wednesday.
The squad, to be named State Mining Enforcement
Squad, will be headed by a Mining Department
official. It will also have an official
of the Forest Department and 12 security
personnel. The squad will be put in place within a
month, the meeting decided.
Steel and Mines Minister Padmanabha Behera
who presided over the meeting has requested
the Forest and Homes Departments to depute
their staff for the squad.
In fact, it took the Steel and Mines Department
seven months to take a formal decision on
the formation of the special squad.
In a statement issued after a similar review
meeting held in February this year, the
Department had announced that it would constitute
a squad to check smuggling of minerals.
Smuggling of minerals has been growing
in the State in the recent years.
A total of 322 persons were booked by the
Mines Department from April 1, 2006 to January
31 this year and fine amount of Rs 3.25
crore was collected from them.
Besides, 191 vehicles used in illegal transportation
of different minerals were also seized during
the period.
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