Bhubaneswar: Around 150 villagers from Jajpur district Friday sought the intervention of Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) against the illegal black stone quarrying in Bichhakhandi hills which has affected the lives of the villagers.
The villagers have requested the commission to direct the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC) to conduct an enquiry into the matter. They also demanded an independent probe against the IIC of Jenapur police station for his alleged nexus with the mining mafia.
The villagers alleged that the mining mafia have been extracting black stones through wagon blast machines in and around the Bichhakhandi hills near Dharmasala without government approval.
The blasting in the hills and adjoining areas has caused serious damage to the houses of the villagers apart from causing various diseases through emission of hazardous ammonium nitrate gas after the blasts. This also adversely affected the ground and surface water of the area destroying hundreds of acres of agricultural land in the area.
The villagers also held massive protests blocking the roads in the area in order to stop the illegal quarrying in the hills November 23, 2019. However, the district administration reportedly did not take any action in this regard.
The mining contractors were also accused of hiring goons to threaten the innocent villagers to stop the protests. Subsequently, the villagers lodged a complaint with Jenapur police, but no action was taken against the contractor or his aides.
On the other hand, the Dharmasala tehslidar lodged a complaint against some villagers allegedly at the behest of the contractors.
