Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party of Orissa demanded the resignation of Mr Naveen Patnaik CM of Orissa in view of the observations made by the High Court while disposing off a petition challenging the state government’s recommendation for grant of prospecting licence for Kandahar mines in favor of steelmaker POSCO.
Senior BJP leader Mr Bijoy Mohapatra at a press conference at the party’s state headquarters said that the chief minister should resign immediately in view of the High Court’s observation that the mineral policy of the state Government is totally in a mess and the state government has adopted a policy that would suit to the situation and suit to favored parties.
Mr Mohapatra said that “The chief minister has got no option but to quit his post.”
Mr Mohapatra pointed out that the Court had also observed that the State government had taken different stands at different points of time for different applicants who had applied for its recommendation for grant of prospecting licenses in their favor.
Mr Mohapatra said that the chief minister should resign from his post as the mineral policy was decided by the Cabinet that he headed while adding that Mr Patnaik now had no option but to quit.
Leader of the BJP Legislature Party in the State Assembly KV Singh Deo also blamed the Chief Minister for applying different yardsticks for the different companies with regard to recommendation for grant of prospecting licence and mining lease.
While allowing a petition by Geomin Minerals & Marketing (P) Ltd last week, the High Court had set aside the recommendation made by the State government in favor of POSCO and directed the State government to take a fresh decision in the matter.
July 23rd,2010
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BHUBANESWAR – The officers’ association of the state-owned National Aluminium Compnay Ltd (NALCO) Thursday expressed its concern over the delay of its expansion plans in Orissa.
NALCO, in spite of its acute coal crisis, supplied surplus power to the state whenever it got any chance to do so and the cordial relationship between the state and NALCO for last 29 years has set an example for other industries in the state, association president B.C Ray and general secretary A.K. Sahu said in a statement.
However NALCO’s proposal to set up the aluminium smelter and power plant at Brajarajnagar in the state’s Jharsuguda district has remained almost a non-starter although a high-level clearance authority headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved the proposal in November last year, they said.
“Though other private sectors were allowed to set up plants in the district, NALCO, having surplus alumina and expertise in aluminium production, was debarred from setting up the plant,” they said.
Highlighting the investment the company has planned in the state, they said Nalco “has an open mind to invest more than Rs.16,500 crore”.
The project will have directly employ 4,000 and provide indirect employment of 10,000 people.
“The revenue contribution to state and central exchequer will be more than Rs.300 crore and Rs. 2,000 crore respectively,” they said.
A delegation representing the association met state Energy Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak earlier this week and requested him to take necessary steps in this regard, the statement said.
NALCO, headquartered in Bhubaneswar, is Asia’s largest integrated aluminium producer.
It is also a major player in bauxite mining, alumina refining and smelting with additional business interests in power generation and rail and port operations.
July 22nd,2010
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Bhubaneswar: Taking strong exception to the clean chit given by chief minister Naveen Patnaik to his two ministerial colleagues in connection with the much-talked-about coal scam, the state BJP on Wednesday reiterated its demand of bringing former MD of OSIC Hemant Sharma into the investigation.
Briefing newsmen here, chief spokesperson and vice president of the party’s state unit Ashok Sahu alleged that the chief minister has been a party to the coal scam under the OSIC by protecting the two ministers who were chairmen of the corporation consecutively.
He alleged that Pratap Jena had personally favoured Balaji Coal Traders for selecting it handling agent.
The trader allegedly transported coal from the MCL to a coal depot at Manguli Chhak in Cuttack by trucks and tippers owned by ‘Baba Lingaraj Transport Co’ whose real owner was Jena himself.
He further alleged that minister Badri Narayan Patra was a signatory to a resolution made on February 17, 2009 for setting up coal depots owned by private parties even at places where the MCL has its own depot.
It is in violation of the FSA and also the guidelines set by the Department of Public Enterprises as the expenditure involved exceeded Rs 10 lakh.
Sahu maintained that there are enough materials to constitute prima facie charges against both the ministers to investigate into their complicity in the multi-crore linkage coal scam.
However, the chief minister, by giving clean chit to the delinquent members in the Cabinet has preempted the investigation by the State Vigilance.
He alleged that in face of a clean chit by none other than the chief minister himself, no one in the Vigilance department would finger at these two delinquents even if they are guilty.
Sahu also alleged that Hemant Sharma, the IAS officer, was benefited by being posted as the Director, Industries as well as the OSIC MD as a reward for the services.
He should be brought under investigation, Sahu demanded.
July 22nd,2010
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Bhubaneswar: The Union Minister of State for Coal Prakash Jaiswal, who is on a visit to Orissa, meet with the Chief Minister Naveen Patanik in the Bidhan Saudha and also Opposition Congress members in the Dharana place in the premises of the State Assembly on Wednesday .
While interacting with the reporters he not only expressed concern over the alleged linkage coal scam, but also termed it as the most unfortunate. He said there should be an impartial investigation into the matter.
He informed that Central Government is providing coals to the State to sell to the micro, small and medium industries at subsidized prices. There is nothing to do by the Union Government. He also informed that the Union Government can not press for CBI probe without the consent of the state government or direction of the Court.
Replying some of the questions of the mediapersons , he said that the coal scam issue is basically a State issue. “State Government bears the prime responsibility for investigation into the scam. The Government should do appropriate investigation and take stringent action against the culprits, whoever they may be,” he maintained.
Responding to another question, he said if State Government recommends a proposal to the Union Government for CBI enquiry into the Matter, the latter would certainly accept it. He maintained that whoever may investigate into the scam, the culprits should be punished.
Jaiswal was seen to sit on the Dharana place with the Opposition members for a long time near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. When asked as the Opposition members are staging Dharna demanding ouster of two tainted Ministers and how could you, being a Central Minister sit with them, he said,” First, I am a congress activist, then a Minister,”. He also said the supreme of the party has already given freedom to the Opposition to make linkage coal scam an issue in the State
July 21st,2010
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Bhubaneswar: The BJP on Tuesday demanded the resignation of chief minister Naveen Patnaik claiming that he had lost all right to remain in office in view of the Odisha High Court’s observation that the state government had adopted a mineral policy to suit favoured parties.
In view of the court’s observation Patnaik had lost the right to continue in office as it also validated the allegation of BJP and others that the BJD government showed undue favour to certain companies, senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra told reporters here.
Alleging that observation demonstrated that the mineral policy of the state was a total mess, he said that now the chief minister and his entire cabinet are in a dock as the state’s mineral policy was their product.
Mohapatra and BJP legislature party leader K V Singhdeo said that the chief minister had always been stating that the law would take its own course.
Now that the court order is out, Patnaik should step down showing due respect to the august constitutional body.
Accusing the state government of not following any uniform and consistent policy, Mohapatra said in order to favour certain companies it had been taking different stands for different parties at different points of time.
The chief minister must honour the findings of the high court and step down at the earliest not only on moral, but on legal ground also, he said.
In a major setback to the proposed Rs 51,000 crore Posco steel project in Paradip, the High Court had on July 14 set aside the state governments recommendation for PL for the Khandadhar iron ore reserve in favour of it.
July 21st,2010
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