Bhubaneswar: The BJD on Monday alleged that sand, morrum, and stone theft have become rampant across the State and claimed that leaders and workers of the ruling BJP were directly involved. Following recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids in Ganjam district – where the involvement of a representative of the mines minister reportedly surfaced – the BJD demanded the immediate dismissal of Minister of Commerce, Transport, Steel & Mines Bibhuti Bhushan Jena from the Cabinet.
Addressing a press conference at Sankha Bhawan, party spokesperson and Media Coordinator Dr. Lenin Mohanty said that since the BJP came to power, illegal extraction of sand and other minor minerals has risen sharply. The party alleged that the illegal activities are flourishing with the tacit encouragement of the ruling establishment.
According to the BJD, the State’s minor mineral revenue, which stood at Rs1,485 crore in 2023–24, has fallen drastically to Rs600 crore in 2024–25. Revenue from major minerals has also dropped from Rs50,000 crore to Rs34,000 crore during the same period – an alarming decline the party termed a serious blow to Odisha’s financial health.
Dr. Mohanty further claimed that the widespread theft has triggered steep increases in sand prices and worsened road safety, law and order, and public welfare.
The party in a press release said it had repeatedly raised the issue and demanded decisive action, but the government ignored the warnings. The ED raids, Mohanty said, confirmed irregularities and exposed the involvement of the mines minister’s representative.
A letter from Jena to the Ganjam District Collector reportedly authorized Sunil Patra as his point person for Mining, Police, and Court matters. Once the ED linked Patra to sand theft, the BJD alleged, the minister’s role became evident.
On the minister’s remark that “whoever is involved in sand theft will face ED raids,” the BJD said the comment was an attempt to deflect attention, comparing it to “a thief shouting thief.”
Stating that the minister’s resignation was the only acceptable step, the BJD said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who speaks of “good governance” and calls himself a “people’s CM,” must prove it by removing Shri Bibhuti Jena from the Cabinet.
