A local newspaper, exposing the Mining scam in the State, came out with a front-paged story titled ‘After Karnataka and Goa, whistleblower points to a mining scam in MP”. The report does not rule out the possibility of the involvement of at least two ministers in the scam. They are PWD minister Nagendra Singh and Minister of state for mineral resources Rajendra Shukla.

The scam figures in a report compiled by a senior IFS officer. Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Jagdish Prashad Sharma has given detailed facts collected by him in his visits to the areas concerned. Sharma carried out his investigations without revealing his identity. He is reported to have submitted his report to Ramesh K Dave, PCCF. The report alleges massive illegal mining of stones and stone slabs in Nagod and Unchera forest ranges in the Satna district of the State.

Sharma had visited the area to verify one Gorelal Tamrakar’s charges about illegal mining. The complaint was referred to him by Dave.

Sharma said in the report that what he saw in the forests was astonishing. “Brazen mining was going on to extract stone and stone slabs. I saw tractor trolleys and trucks carry the stones”, he said.

Sharma did not inform the local officials at Satna and Rewa about his visits and he travelled on a motor cycle, riding pillion along with the complainant. They visited the areas as businessmen. Whenever they reached near any illegal mine, the labourers would run away and come back only after being assured that they were businessmen. They saw several trucks bearing no registration numbers engaged in illegal mining.

He said he found about 12 illegal mines around four villages alone. He said local people told him that PWD minister Nagendra Singh’s nephew Baba Raja’s mining work had been going on in the Nagod forest range for several years.

In his concluding remarks, Sharma said, “Illegal mining is not possible without the collusion of forest officials. If an enquiry is conducted on the lines of illegal mining in Karnataka’s Bellary, it will bring to light theft of stone and forest produce and revenue loss worth crores of rupees.

When asked to comment on the allegation of illegal mining, Forest Minister Sartaj Singh said, ‘I have come to know about the report and have asked the officials concerned to send it to me”

The day this scam, which may run into several crores of rupees, came to light, the main opposition Congress decided to intensify its struggle against the state government. The newly-constituted state working committee of the party, held its meeting at Bhopal. The meeting was addressed by AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh and AICC general secretary in charge for MP BK Hariprasad.

Digvijay launched a blistering attack on the BJP government. He predicted a change in chief ministership of MP saying that BJP’s third wicket (after Uttarakhand and Karnataka) will fall in the State. He alleged that like Karnataka, the MP government is also neck deep in corruption. He also questioned the credibility of the Lokayukta, who gave a clean chit to the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan in the Dumper case. According to the MP Lokayukta and UP Lokayukta Act, the Lokayukta is selected by a committee including the CM and leader of opposition. Digvijay alleged that the CM obtained the signature of the then opposition leader (late Ms. Jamuna Devi) while she was lying in the intensive care unit of a hospital. Digvijay said that the Lokayukta was a favourite of the CM and that was why he had declared the CM not guilty in the Dumpers case.

It may be recalled that some Dumpers were purchased by Shivraj Singh Chauhan and his wife Sadhna Singh. Both obtained loan from a bank to make the purchase. But they did not disclose the source from where they arranged the margin money. A complaint was filed with the Lokayukta with the objective of finding out the source from where the margin money was obtained. It was in this case that the Lokayukta acquitted Chauhan and his wife.

It is for the first time that the state Lokayukta had got involved in a controversy of this kind. However, the Lokayukta, who is a former judge of the Supreme Court, has rebutted the charge and recalled that Jamuna Devi had attended his oath-taking ceremony. She could have very well told the world that her signatures were obtained when she was seriously sick and not in a position to render an informed opinion.

Digvijay also alleged that a contractor close to the CM was getting almost all the contracts for the construction of roads in the state. Digvijay Singh and other party leaders asked the partymen to prepare for the 2013 ballot battle when the state will go to the polls. The Congress meeting fixed a target of winning 125 of the 230 seats in the assembly. The meeting was dominated by the faction led by Digvijay Singh. Several senior leaders including Kamal Nath, Suresh Pachauri and Arun Yadav kept away.(IPA Service)