Joda: Despite being banned from using a road running through a forest in this district, a mining company is allegedly using it for the transportation of minerals, locals alleged here Thursday. They added that it would not have been possible for the firm to do so had it not been for the tacit understanding between it and Forest Department officials. Sources said that the firm allegedly denuded a forest land of its green cover to facilitate the transportation of minerals from Inganijharan BC Dev mines under the Joda mining division in Keonjhar district. Upon coming to know about the development, the Forest department had dug a deep trench on the road. Initially, the road remained unusable for a few days.
Later on locals were surprised to find that the trench had been filled up and the vehicles of the company were using it again to transport minerals. Councillor Dipti Ranjan Behera of Ward No 13, his associate Churchill Mahakud of Khuntapani locality and the local villagers lodged a written complaint with the Forest Department highlighting this development. They demanded a probe into the irregularities and alleged that the company has been permitted to transport minerals through the forest illegally. They added that the permission was granted without organising a gram sabha under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Locals alleged that the firm initially had built the road through the forest by felling trees illegally. When the Forest department came to know about the development, it had dug a trench March 15 to prevent the movement of vehicles.
However, it was filled up within a few days and now vehicles are plying through the road regularly. What is surprising to note is that a letter (No 2405/6F-Mining53/2004/March 19, 2024) issued by the DFO and in possession of this correspondent, states that the company has been allowed to use the rural road through the forest for mineral transportation. The letter states that the Baitarani (A) and (B) reserve forests have a 1.7 km-long rural road passing through them. The firm has been given temporary permission to use the road without violating the bio-diversity and harming wildlife. Villagers living in and around the road alleged that initially the trench was dug up on the direction of the DFO. They asserted that the trench couldn’t have been filled up if the DFO had not issued the order. They pointed out that the mining company must have reached an ‘understanding’ with the Forest department to use the road again. Earlier, the firm used to transport minerals through the Sai Temple road passing through Ward No 7 of this town. However, the road passing through the forest is a more convenient and shorter. Environmentalists, however, fear that the rampant vehicle movements will seriously affect the bio-diversity and harm wildlife in the forest range.
