SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, April 7: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), investigating the illegal stone mining in Sahibganj and subsequent money laundering by Jharkhand CM’s MLA representative Pankaj Mishra and his associate Bishnu Kumar Yadav alias Chotu Yadav, has said that the iilegal mining by Mishra and his associates is going on unabated under the nose of the administration.
That too, when the Sahibganj police had already lodged an FIR in this regard in December last year which was linked to illegal mining by Pankaj Mishra, Bishnu Yadav and other associates, but did neither take any action to stop it nor acted against the scamsters.
The central probe agency shot off a letter on April 7 to the Sahibganj SP, annexing an inspection report, which it carried out on the illegal mining site at Nimbu Pahad on April 5, alongwith verified evidences.
The ED has registered an ECIR (equivalent to FIR) in this regard on the basis of an FIR no.06/22 lodged by the Sadar police station in Sahibganj on December 1 last year.
The inspection was carried out in presence of at least 12 officers from the State government and the ED, including District Mining officer (DMO) Bibhuti Kumar and ED Assistant Director Deovrat Jha. The ED showed the DMO and other state government officers how the illegal mining was going on even as there is all-round furor over the plundering of natural resources.
The ED, in its letter, has also corroborated its findings with evidence and narrated how the illegal mining by Pankaj Mishra and Chotu Yadav, which had been earlier detected during inspection from July 25 to July 27 last year, was still going on.
The ED’s missive said that within a span of eight months the site has been further mined. The agency also deployed a drone and requested the operator to fly the drone and get an arial view. It was found that several fresh holes were made and explosives were inserted into it keeping the mines ready for fresh blasting. The local enquiry revealed that the mining in the said mines was carried out during night also.
“Fresh marks of the wheels of heavy vehicles/equipment connecting the mining sites to the main road were also visible. Marks indicating fresh use of pocklane excavators/earthmovers for excavation and dumping was visible on the mining site. It was apparent that the illegal mining was continuing at the said site and the fresh blasting of the hill with explosives was ready.”
Concluding that prima facie it appears that cognizable offences have been committed, the ED has asked the SP to take action on it.
