Odisha MLA exposes coal theft in Talcher, demands probe

In a significant development, Talcher MLA Braja Kishore Pradhan on Saturday raised serious concerns over alleged coal theft at the Jagannath Open Cast Project (OCP) located in Talcher.

The MLA reportedly uncovered that high-grade coal extracted from the mine was being stored by the mining authorities under the pretext of ‘waste material and stones’ before being sold illegally for profit.

Despite official documents declaring this coal as government property, it was reportedly being transported without proper authorisation by a contractor. Taking immediate action, the MLA personally visited the site and intervened to halt the ongoing coal pilferage.

“Acting on reliable information, I reached Jagannath Open Cast Project (OCP) at around 5:30PM yesterday. When I reached there, a few dumpers of a private contractual company, without any authorisation or permission, were carrying out illegal coal dumping. This isn’t just limited to one mine. Several other mines in Talcher are facing similar irregularities,” the MLA told media persons.

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The matter has been formally brought to the attention of the Gopalprasad Police Station and the Angul District Collector through written complaints. The MLA has called for a thorough high-level investigation into the issue.

Efforts to get a statement from the Jagannath OCP authorities were unsuccessful till the time of filing of this report.