It was scams galore during the year. The multi-crore mining scam continued to rock the state throughout the year with Opposition parties slamming the government for plunder of precious mineral resources from Odisha.
While a team of Justice M B Shah Commission appointed by the Centre to probe illegal mining activities in different states visited Odisha twice in October and November, there was vociferous demand by Opposition parties for a CBI inquiry into alleged irregularities.
The commission, which also visited Odisha earlier in December 2011, verified 160 iron ore and manganese mine leases out of its target of 192 cases. The rest 32 cases involved exclusive manganese mines, sources said.
In the coal sector, Patnaik came under direct attack for recommending allocation of a coal block to a big private steel company after cancelling the same given to another firm. He also drew flak for a joint venture between state-owned Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) and a Delhi-based firm for coal mining in Angul district in which controlling stake was given to the private player.
CBI launched a probe into the matter. A novel campaign against alleged water scandal was intensified by NGOs and activists accusing the government of providing water from major rivers to industries liberally at the cost of irrigation and thus hitting the farmers hard.
On industrialisation front, progress remained tardy and sluggish despite the state's claim about attracting lakhs of crores of rupees investments as mega projects like Posco, ArcelotMittal and Vedanta failed to make headway due to varied reasons including resistance from people.
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