Boudh: Stone crushing units have given rise to resentment among the people in Harbhanga block of Boudh district.
Residents of Kharbhuin and Baisipada in Chhataranga panchayat staged protests against the operation of stone crushers at Baisipada, Tuesday, demanding closure of the stone crushing units.
Hundreds of villagers, including women, took out a rally from Harbhanga block area and laid logs on the roads resulting in blockades on the way to the crusher units.
They also protested the move to set up another stone crusher unit in the village with government permission.
Already three crusher units are operational in the area. The villagers have been opposing the move to set up the new crusher unit for the last one month. They alleged that these crusher units have been polluting the area, thereby adversely affecting their farming activities.
“Dust emanating from stone crushers settles on farmlands and affects soil fertility. It also pollutes water bodies, causing diseases among people,” they added.
The villagers demanded that all the crusher units in the area should be closed down. The agitating people warned of intensifying their protest in the coming days if no action is taken by the administration to close these units.
The villagers led by Zilla Parishad member Abakash Sahu observed that operation of stone crushing units have spurred quarrying in the region and it is also taking a heavy toll on the greenery as trees are being felled to make space for quarries.
Even blasting undertaken to break the stones has been damaging their houses. A delegation of agitators met Sub-Collector Ashwini Kumar Meher and Harbhanga tehsildar Sashibhusan Mishra over the issue, but the meeting was inconclusive.
On the other hand, the tehsildar said that villagers failed to prove their allegations against stone crushing units. “The issue of pollution due to blasts in stone quarries will be investigated and action will be taken accordingly,” he added.
PNN
