By IANS,
Raipur : The Congress party Wednesday alleged that Chhattisgarh’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was backing illegal diamond mining in Raipur district and said it had formed a panel to conduct an inquiry.
“With reports coming of mass illegal diamond mining backed by the state government, Congress has formed a six-member party panel to visit the diamond-rich Pailikhand area in Raipur district to make an on-the-spot probe this week and report back to the party,” Congress general secretary Ramesh Varlyani told IANS.
Pailikhand is located 150 km from state capital Raipur, close to the Orissa state border.
Varlyani said the panel was formed after receiving information that the state government has withdrawn security from the Pailikhand site paving way for illegal mining.
“The party panel report will help the Congress decide its future course of action on illegal mining issue,” he stated.
The state government deployed security and banned people visiting the site without government permission in 2000 after prospecting licence of a diamond firm, B. Vijay Kumar Chhattisgarh Exploration Pvt Ltd (BVCE), was cancelled for not maintaining transparency in the survey work.
BVCE moved court in 2001 against the government decision.
Since the matter is in court, the government has fenced the diamond location at Pailikhand but the Congress alleges that mass illegal mining is on with government support.