Mining bid: Cong for action against babus

BHUBANESWAR: The bid by an elite club of Orissa's bureaucrats for an iron ore mine in the state has been slammed by the Congress, which has demanded action against the officers.
Congress' state-in-charge V Narayanaswamy said participation of government employees in a business bidding violated service rules. "It is against service rules. I urge chief minister Naveen Patnaik to take tough action against the officers involved," Narayanaswamy said on Sunday.
The bid by Bhubaneswar Club to get mining rights for the Khandadhar iron ore deposits in Sundargarh district, which the state government wants to give to South Korean steel giant Posco, was first reported by The Times of India.
The Centre's department of personnel has said action would be taken if the officers had violated service rules.
"It is a dangerous sign. The officers are part of the government. How can they participate in the bidding?" the senior Congress leader asked.