Joda: Forest department officials seized three dumpers loaded with illegally mined manganese near Tiring hill area close to the Baitarani reserved forest under the Joda section of Keonjhar district late Friday night.
A motorcycle was also seized during the operation. Forest officials said the estimated value of the seized manganese exceeds Rs 5 lakh. Acting on a tip-off, a forest squad conducted a raid while high-grade manganese ore was being illegally loaded onto dumpers for smuggling.
The operation was carried out under the direction of the Keonjhar Divisional Forest Officer and led by Champua range officer Akshay Chhatriya. The team included Joda forester Trinath Jena, Joda forest guard Debashish Mohapatra, Jurudi forest guard Suraj Kumar Das, Dubuna forest guards Subrat Patra, Saroj Naik, and members of the Bamebari and Joda forest squads.
During the raid, three dumpers bearing registration numbers OR-09L-7516, OR-09K-7623 and OR-09J-7731 were seized along with a motorcycle bearing registration number OR09P-8957. Offi cials said the dumpers were carrying about 25 metric tonnes of high-grade powdered manganese.
“The estimated value of the seized mineral is over Rs 5 lakh,” Chhatriya told reporters.
A case has been registered at the Champua range office, and further investigation is underway. It may be recalled that three youths were killed after a mound of earth collapsed during illegal manganese mining at Dala Pahad July 1 this year. Following the incident, senior officials from the Directorate of Mines in Bhubaneswar and district-level authorities visited the area and announced measures to curb illegal mining.
However, allegations persist that the Mines department has failed to effectively prevent illegal extraction and transportation of minerals. A special team from the Joda mining sub-directorate, under the Bhubaneswar headquarters, was deployed to curb mineral theft; but critics say the initiative has remained largely ineffective.
