While the state government appears to be hyperactive in searching for areas where illegal mining occurred without any lease or permission, the team of experts carrying out operations has identified 32 such patches in the Joda-Barbil sector in Keonjhar district. According to sources, illegal mining of iron ore and manganese occurred in these areas during the steel boom period and these illegally extracted minerals were allowed safe passage beyond the state boundary by vested interests both in state government and the Indian Railways. Experts seeking anonymity have pointed out that the value of the minerals siphoned off in this manner may run into some thousands of crores, adding that most of such illegal mining took place in the areas relinquished by Bird & Co and TISCO. The Bird & Co had relinquished nearly 13 sqkm of area where as the TISCO’s relinquished area may go beyond 10 sq km, said sources. The railway sidings where such illegally extracted minerals were dumped before being ferried away also flouted norms and the CBI is investigating the complicity of officials in the racket. With much hype made in the wake of the Shah Commission inquiring into mining violations by the leaseholders, this issue did not get the attention it deserved, said experts. “Violations of norms by mining leaseholders have been blown out of proportions whereas such daylight robbery has been ignored by the government authorities,” said an expert, pointing out that all the companies which were behind this loot with the help of some local mafias have vanished from the scene. In the mean time, the state government, which has taken steps to cancel the trading licences of some firms and conducted an inquiry through its Vigilance department, has not shown the required degree of seriousness to catch the culprits, rued experts.