Bhubaneswar: BJP leader and former Sundargarh MLA Kusum Tete has urged Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to order a high-level investigation into the alleged rampant coal smuggling from the Kulapada-Telendihi reserve forest area in Hemgir block of the district.

In a letter to the CM, Tete alleged that large-scale illegal coal mining and smuggling have been going on for years, causing massive loss to the state exchequer. She claimed the coal mafia continues to operate with impunity despite the presence of one of Asia’s largest opencast coal mines in the region, run by the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a Navratna company under the Government of India.

Tete said that although legal mining operations are underway through lease-holding companies, illegal coal activities in the forest belt surrounding Gopalpur village have reached alarming proportions. “The coal smuggling racket operates over a 30-km radius with more than 100 illegal mining points and around 40 coal stockyards,” she wrote.

According to the BJP leader, the stolen coal is allegedly transported to neighbouring states like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, and even as far as Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

She referred to a recent media expose by an Odia news channel and print publication, following which a joint raid was carried out by the Sundargarh district administration, police, and forest department officials under the leadership of the Sub-Collector. However, Tete said that no arrests have been made so far, and the main culprits remain untouched.

Calling it a "catastrophic crime," Tete urged the CM to act swiftly and direct a thorough probe to break the coal crime syndicate and protect the state’s resources.