Joda: Leaseholders and transporters are reportedly adopting novel ways to smuggle iron ores from Joda mining circle in Keonjhar district, a report said.
The leaseholders in connivance with transporters are allegedly using a single transit pass multiple times to transport minerals to various destinations. This leads to an annual revenue loss of Rs 150 crore to the government.
The matter came to the fore when officials of deputy director of mines in Joda were verifying the mineral laden trucks passing through the area April 22. They detained some trucks when the drivers jumped off their vehicles and ran away.
Suspecting something amiss, the officials launched an investigation. A verification of three trucks revealed that the vehicles were loaded with over 90 tonne iron ores. “Suitable action will be taken against the guilty once the probe is completed,” said mines official.
A senior official, on condition of anonymity, said that the miners who get lease of mines by quoting a higher price during auction are mostly involved in this fraud. The leaseholders after mining the minerals manage to get permission from the mines office for transportation. The trucks are then tagged in Integrated Mines Minerals and Management System (i3MS) software for transportation.
Later, some unscrupulous leaseholders try to do away with the hassle of getting a transit pass every time for transportation of minerals.
The truckers after unloading the minerals at their destinations do not put the receiving seal on the transit pass and use it time and again to transport minerals to their respective destinations multiple times, the senior official added.
It is said that the fraud is bleeding the state exchequer of Rs 150 crore as revenue and premium towards minerals annually.
It needs to be investigated how the mines which had high-grade iron ores before their auction in 2020 were suddenly found with low grade ores post auction.