Overview
- At a Friday briefing in Bhubaneswar, BJD leaders Lenin Mohanty and Ipsita Sahu alleged that sand and minor-mineral theft has surged under the patronage of BJP ministers and leaders since the party took power.
- The party highlighted a drop in state revenue from minor minerals from Rs 1,485 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 600 crore in 2024-25 as indicative of illegal extraction.
- Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi recently directed district collectors and Superintendents of Police to curb sand theft, which the BJD cast as acknowledgment of a growing problem.
- The BJD demanded the Chief Minister’s explanation and cited allegations involving his office, naming Mining Minister Bibhuti Jena, minister Pradeep Balsamant and MLA Vijay Dalabehera in purported links to illegal mining.
- The BJD announced plans for street agitation over the issue, the OPCC alleged a BJP-backed Independent MLA’s role in smuggling, and reports described sand scarcity and higher construction costs with no independent inquiry findings reported.