Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Sept 5: Officials from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have been conducting an extensive raid at the Barsua iron ore mines in Odisha’s Sundargarh district, following allegations of significant irregularities in mining operations.
According to sources, a seven-member CBI team, led by an additional Superintendent of Police, is carrying out the search at the mines operated by the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). The operation, which began earlier in the week, entered its fourth day on Thursday.
The CBI team is scrutinizing a range of documents at both the mining site and the office in Tensa. They are also questioning SAIL officials and staff regarding various aspects of the mining operations. Additionally, the team is inspecting iron ore stocks and evaluating the quality of materials at the site, while cross-referencing data from different documents and files.
The raid follows allegations of illegal iron ore transportation, which reportedly led to substantial revenue losses. There are claims that mining lease holders were misrepresenting iron ore as low-grade material to facilitate illicit dispatches from the mines.
