Two more Orissa railway sidings shut over illegal mining

BHUBANESWAR - Two more railway sidings were ordered closed Friday in Orissa’s mineral rich Keonjhar district to stop illegal mining, officials said.

The railway sidings at Barbil and Bolani have been asked to stop operations after mine department officials found unclaimed iron ore of about 54,000 and 38,000 tonnes respectively lying them.

“The ores that we detected may have been illegally procured,” Deputy Director of Mines U.C. Jena told IANS, adding that investigations are on.

Officials earlier ordered the closure of the railway at Banspani and Jurudi after they detected more than 97,000 tonnes of unclaimed iron ores earlier this week.

Investigations into illegal mining in the state by various state and central agencies started after some politicians alleged in July that some mines were operating without licences.

During the past two months, at least 90 people have been arrested in Keonjhar district, 230 km from here, for their involvement in illegal mining.

Two of the arrested this week were booked under the stringent National Security Act, which provides for detention without trial for up to one year. They were also involved in several murder and extortion cases, police said.

Police also said a group of criminals had formed a syndicate and made several crores of rupees by illegally raising and transporting iron ore from the district, both by road and through railway sidings.