Jharkhand Assembly breaks into uproar over ‘illegal mining’
The Hindu
The BJP MLAs said illegal explosives were being used for mining and hills were disappearing from the State’s Santhal Pargana and Palamu divisions
The Jharkhand Assembly on March 18 witnessed noisy scenes over alleged illegal mining in the mineral-rich State with opposition BJP MLAs demanding a probe by a House panel.
The BJP MLAs said illegal explosives were being used for mining and hills were disappearing from the State’s Santhal Pargana and Palamu divisions, causing huge losses to the State exchequer and environment.
Demanding a probe into the issue by an Assembly committee, legislators of the saffron party trooped into the Well.
Speaker Rabindranath Mahto urged the members to return to their seats, saying a committee will be set up if required.
Amid vociferous protests by the BJP MLAs who continued to raise their voices for a House panel, the Speaker adjourned the House from 11.50 a.m. to 12.30 p.m..
Responding to the allegations, the State Government claimed that the number of raids against illegal mining has increased three times now as compared to the previous BJP rule and revenue collection from mining has also doubled during the three years of the Hemant Soren government.
During Question Hour, BJP chief whip Biranchi Narayan alleged, “A stone mining scam worth ₹20,000 crore, including ₹1,000 crore in Sahebganj district alone, took place under the present government. Illegal mining is rampant. The number of FIRs related to stone mining has increased from 274 in 2020-21 to 565 in 2022-23”.