Jajpur: A number of important government files were allegedly set ablaze behind the office of Deputy Director (Mines) located at Dhabalagiri of Jajpur Road in this district with an intention to hide corruption in the department, a source informed Saturday.
According to the source, the recently carried out burning of important files continued for more than two hours. An official in the mines deputy director Office had engaged two peons in the work. However, a thick layer of ash was smeared on the ground after the files were burnt, in order to eliminate all evidences, the eyewitness expressed.
Meanwhile, a local social activist named Dushmant Kumar Rout has tweeted to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in this regard and sought an enquiry into the incident. He also informed about it to state Vigilance Directorate in Cuttack, Mines department and Jajpur Collector.
Allegations of corruption and irregularity are often being raised pertaining to the DDM office in Dhabalagiri. There is a very high possibility that several mining and transport firms can be conveniently patronised on the pretext of the important files losing existence.
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Some officials in the DDM office receive their monthly salaries also from unscrupulous mining companies in Jajpur. The information was proved to be correct from an email earlier sent by senior manager of a mining company in 2020. Perhaps, the files were burnt by the officials apprehending any probe of corruption charge in the days ahead. None of the authorities have responded to the tweet so far, Rout said.
On being contacted for his reactions, Jajpur Road DDM Priyadarshi Sandeep Kumar Bal said, “Some unwanted files were burnt for the sake of safety after a poisonous snake was recently found in the office. There is no question of any corruption or irregularity. As most of the official works are being done online, old files are of no use.”
It is pertinent to mention, stacks of illegally transported iron ores are often detected beside the national highways in mineral-rich Jajpur, Keonjhar and Angul districts. Most of the times, the department fails to give a convincing reply with regard to where the ores came from.
A report of the erstwhile Saha Commission had exposed a gigantic scam of iron and manganese ores conducted to the tune of Rs 59,203 crore in Joda mines area of Jajpur district around 10 years ago.
PNN
