Jajpur: Officials of the Jajpur district administration raided an illegal black stone mine on Dankari hill under Dharmasala tehsil in Jajpur Sunday afternoon.
Also read: Union Budget 2021: Odisha govt demands adequate fund allocation for state
Ten vehicles including a compressor, tractor, hyva and hitachi machines were seized. Five persons were detained in this connection and a detailed probe is underway, an official informed.
Orissa POST had given a report on this issue two days back. The administrative action followed the news coverage, upon directive of Jajpur District Collector Chakravarti Singh Rathore.
Notably, the illegal mining activities had come to the fore after revenue inspector Manoj Kumar Samal submitted his report on resumption of rampant black stone quarrying on Dankari hill a few months back.
In his report, the revenue inspector had alleged that mining mafias namely Rabi Das of Dankari village and Kuna Prusty of Chadheidhara village in Jajpur including Swarupananda Das of Najichowki Chhak in Dhenkanal have been illegally mining and transporting black stones for sale to different locations within the state and outside as well.
On the basis of Samal’s field report on illegal quarrying of black stone, Dharmasala tehsildar had advised Jenapur police for taking immediate actions against the three wrongdoers December 21, last year.
On the other hand, local social activist Sarbeswar Behura has alleged that revenue officials and police want to take the credit by conducting raids as a cosmetic treatment to the serious issue. Around 30 vehicles were engaged in illegal mining activities at Dankari hill when the local tehsil administration and police raided the illegal black stone mines.
Reacting to this, Dharmasala tehsildar Prashant Samantray said, “We have indiscriminately raided the illegal black stone mines”.
PNN
