Boudh: Rampant murram mining has reportedly taken a heavy toll on greenery in Baghipada Gudadei forest in Boudh district, a report said. Environmentalists have flagged concerns over the depleting greenery in the area.
According to the report, the Forest department spends lakhs of rupees in plantation drives. But the murram mafia has scuttled the efforts of the department to protect the greenery.
It was alleged that the administration is not acting against the murram mafia and consequently, the state government is losing huge amount of revenue.
The mafia has engaged tractors and trucks to cart away tonnes of minor minerals on a daily basis. Expressing their discontent and concern over the illegal murram quarrying, locals said that if the administration failed to act against the mafia, the mafia will be denuding the forest cover completely.
“The rate at which murram is being extracted and trees are cleared, we will have no trees around us. It will cause ecological disaster in the region,” Sanatan Sahu, a local, lamented.
The locals accused the Forest and Revenue department of sitting pretty.
The green forest is dotted with a number of craters created due to murram mining. A few years ago, the forest was richly verdant while thousands of trees were being planted in the area. But later, due to a dispute, many trees have been cut off. Again, the Forest department went on a plantation drive. Now, the forest has been a hunting ground for murram mafia which is ripping the greenery apart, the villagers lamented.
Some influential people of the area are involved in the mineral loot, they added.
“Huge pits and craters have been created due to murram mining while trees have been removed to make space for mining. Loss of greenery has posed a danger to survival of wild animals while craters have been dangerous for domestic and wild animals,” Sudarshan Kanika, a nearby villager, said.
He added that small and big pits have been dug in the forest.
The villagers demanded immediate action against the murram mafia.
When asked about illegal mineral quarrying, tehsildar Sanat Kumar Nayak said that steps will be taken in this regard.
PNN
