VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, May 16: Sources aware of the ongoing money laundering probe against IAS Pooja Singhal have said that Enforcement Directorate (ED) has concentrated on illegal mining of minor minerals chiefly sands and stones.
Sources have claimed that well-organized syndicates involved in illegal mining have interstate links.
Pooja Singhal officiated as secretary of the mining department as well as managing director of the Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation (JSMDC). The mining and JSMDC are going to be the next thrust area of the ED as summons were issued to mining officers of three districts namely Krishan Chandra Kisku (Dumka), Pradeep Kumar Sah (Pakur) and Vibhuti Kumar (Sahibganj).
“If there are complaints the same will have to be looked into. Mining officers were summoned as part of verification,” top sources said. Sources said that mining officers of other districts and officials of JSMDC will be called for questioning whenever required. Besides this, related and relevant documents are being called.
Lagatar24.com was given to understand that a preliminary probe has indicated that organized and well-oiled mining syndicates have operated across Jharkhand in the illegal mining of sands and stones.
The official records suggest that there are 358 sand ghats in Jharkhand notified as category II where sand mining is permitted. These districts include Bokaro (22), Chatra (28), Deoghar (15), Dhanbad (14), Dumka (29), East Singhbhum (7), Garhwa (12), Giridih (18), Godda (20), Gumla (17), Hazaribagh (16), Jamtara (17), Khunti (18), Koderma (8), Latehar (9), Lohardaga (8), Pakur (7), Palamu (15), Ramgarh (2), Ranchi (17), Sahibganj (6), Saraikela-Kharsawan (26), Simdega (16)and West Singhbhum (11). But against the actual number of authorized ghats, illegal mining takes place at thousands of places.
Similarly, illegal stone mining takes place in Dumka, Sahibganj, Pakur, Hazaribagh and other districts.
