It is reported that a key checkpoint in West Singhbhum district that gained notoriety for facilitating illegal transportation of minerals worth crores has been abandoned by the state in yet another effort at plugging the lifeline of a well entrenched racket that has been sapping Jharkhand of its natural resources.

The Gitilipi check post, 2 kilometer on the outskirts of the district headquarters of Chaibasa has officially stopped functioning from August 22. Instead, another check post has started functioning from Kasim Bazar area, between Chaibasa and Jagannathpur, on the NH 75 (extension) stretch that is the nerve centre of iron ore transportation.

Raj Bhavan has already ordered a CBI inquiry into illegal export of iron ore from the West Singhbhum region based on an FIR of May 6 that alleged as many as five companies were using fake challans to take out iron ore from the Gitilipi check post.

The entire stocks were transported out by trucks, but since a single truck is not allowed to carry more than 17 tonnes, overloading was adjusted by using registration numbers of more vehicles, sometimes even motorcycles.

According to rough estimates, around 700 trucks used to cross Gitilipi check post daily.

Mr NN Sinha state mines secretary told The Telegraph that “The decision to shift the check post from Gitilipi to Kasim Bazar was taken with the aim to improve its functioning. Gitilipi check post was situated very close to Chaibasa town resulting in day to day traffic snarls and law and order problems.”

He said that “Also, the weigh bridge was situated some distance away creating added problems for state officials and transporters in an effort to explain that the decision was a pure administrative move not linked to investigations into illegal export of ore from the state.

(Sourced from Telegraph India)