Coal news and updates

 

The demand for a high level probe into the involvement of a top police official in the rank of Director-General of Police in transport business in the coal mine area of Talcher is growing.

 

Transaction of business in the Assembly was disrupted over the issue on Monday while the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has already demanded that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik should take strong action against the police officer.

 

The issue was again raised in the Assembly on Tuesday with Santosh Singh Saluja (Cong) alleging that the arrest of Talcher MLA Braja Kishore Pradhan, who was attacked and injured by the henchmen of a contractor at railway siding of Jagannath Colliery in Talcher, was done at the behest of a top police official.  Meanwhile, former OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik has supported the demand for a CBI probe into all the irregularities in the coal belt areas of Talcher, of which the recent incident was the tip of the iceberg.

 

In his blog, Niranjan alleged that a senior police officer was running a shadow company which is engaged in transportation in the coal mine area. Another senior police officer has given his house in Bhubaneswar on rent to a joint venture of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), he said and asked whether these are not clear cases of conflict of interest.

 

Alleging that the arrest of the MLA was clearly use of State power to suppress a popular movement by using the police, Niranjan requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to personally visit Talcher to take stock of the situation.

 

Niranjan demanded that the Chief Minister should explain the action that his Government proposes to initiate to break the nexus and bring an end to mafia rule in Talcher.

 

 

Source: http://newindianexpress.com/