Dikhyaa Mohanty 
UC Jena’s recent elevation to the post of Additional secretary of the state steel & mines department recognises the man’s long deserved raise in the official hierarchy. Jena, who had been diligently serving as the Joint Director of Mines, was always a strong contender for the coveted post of Director of Mines. It was just a matter of time that the upright officer got his due, albeit belatedly.
Jena has had a distinguished career as an officer with the mines department. One of his most adored stints was the Deputy Director of Mines, Joda. It may be noted that Joda is the most prolific iron ore mining sector in Odisha. Nearly a decade, Odisha’s mining was in the cauldron of controversy with many instances of illegal mining. The large scale irregularities in mining led to the constitution of the MB Shah Commission of enquiry. The panel was endowed with the mandate to probe into cases of illegitimate ore raising in Karnataka and Odisha. When the panel took up the field visit to the embattled Joda mining zone, the state machinery could only put up a gallant show due to the feisty officer Mr Jena. So immersed he is in the mining regulations and so thorough is his grasp of the mining ecosystem and procedures that Mr Jena could single-handedly tackle the most gruelling of mining investigations.
His exemplary fieldwork led the state authorities to draft Mr Jena to the Directorate of Mines. He played a stellar role here too. He was largely instrumental in running the show behind the Integrated Mines and Minerals Management System (i3MS). This technology-driven solution integrated all the stakeholders across the mining value chain by collating an electronic database of mine lessees, government departments, truckers & transporters and traders. The system was designed to launch a surgical strike on illegal mining by ensuring seamless, real-time coordination between state and non-state actors. But such a formidable solution could not run successfully without much government oversight. It was Mr Jena who anchored it and kept the system updated and running 24×7.
His next notable achievement was the smooth conduct of mineral e-auctions in Odisha. Mr Jena invested copious efforts in coordinating with government officials and the bidders to ensure that the auctions were a roaring success. Odisha turned out to be the first state to auction an iron ore resource. And in the mineral auctions held across states, Odisha’s auctions proved to be the top draw, attracting frenzied bidding.
There’s the other enigmatic side to Mr Jena’s persona. He is a writer of excellent calibre, having published multiple works to the delight of his readers. His knowledge of art, culture and history is colossal, and anyone who had conversations with him will swear by it. His incumbent responsibilities and workload have limited his time for literary pursuits. But with a new avatar, we may expect his pen to flow more. Odisha needs more of his tribe.
Article Written By Dibyajit Sahu
