Smuggling of gems continues unabated in western Orissa

The Pioneer, Sept 16, 2008
Nimai Charan Sahu | Sambalpur

Western Orissa is the storehouse of gemstones of all varieties, including the most precious diamond and ruby. For that reason, the presiding deity of Kalahandi district is called Manikeswari (goddess of gems). The name of the deity of Sambalpur, Samaleswari, also comes from sambal (wealth).

But the State Government is hardly deriving benefit of the gemstone deposits in terms of revenue. There is no specific plan to explore these precious stones in an organised way, with the result that the benefit is going to smugglers and corrupt Government servants in different departments.

Just three days back, the police arrested a businessman at Kalahandi possessing gemstones worth Rs 15 lakh. This is just a tip of the iceberg for the fact that every year crores of rupees change hands in the gemstone business in the western districts. Kantabanji in Balangir district in the region is known to be a centre for smuggling of gemstones. Businessmen from Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and other metro cities in the country camp here round the year in luxurious hotels and collect precious gemstones from the local agents.

Boudh and Sonepur, two districts headquarters towns in the western part also do not fall behind. These two places are famous for diamonds collected from river Mahanadi. And diamonds collected from the Mahanadi bed have got a demand in the international market too.

The trade is also as massive at Deogarh as in other districts of the region. In the inaccessible forest areas of the district, smugglers engage innocent people to explore gemstones, particularly gomed, garnet and quartz, just paying them wages of Rs 30 to Rs 40 a day. The locals also work in dangerous conditions in pits of 40 to 50 feet deep. And the cream goes to the smugglers.

Surprisingly, forest, revenue, mines and police personnel close their eyes to the gemstone trade everywhere. They act only when there is a complaint from the public on the basis of stories in newspapers.

When contacted, the Deputy Director of Mines admitted the fact of illegal gemstone trade. "It is a tough task for us since we have limited manpower. But we never neglect when we get any specific complaint," he added.