Bhubaneswar: Illegal mining has allegedly been done in Odisha to the tune of around Rs 9 Lakh Crore over twelve years between 2002 and 2014. Senior BJP leader Jayanarayan Mishra today demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the mining scam in a presser.

“Natural resources in the State are being rampantly quarried. The Government has not fixed any limit to the mining of the minerals. Despite having so much of natural resources, Odisha is still a backward state and is lagging far behind other states in the country,” the Leader of Opposition (LoP) alleged.

“The massive scam was conducted with the knowledge of the Chief Minister. Out of 192 mines leased out in Odisha, at least 176 are located in dense forest areas. Ninety-eight mines were not accorded permission by the Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change (FE&CC). Similarly, mining activities are being carried out in as many as 47 mines sans environment clearance,” Mishra stated.

The mining scam was earlier brought to the knowledge of the Chief Minister and Governor, including the President and Prime Minister. Memorandums in this regard were submitted in the past few days.

“CM has been providing ‘legal coverage’ to mafias to carry out excessive mining,” the leader added.