Jajpur: There has been a significance increase in the number of illegal crushers in Dharmasala tehsil of Jajpur district owing to the alleged apathy of the district administration in initiating action against these rogue units. Sources said that the crusher operators are encroaching on valuable land belonging to the Irrigation and Public Works department, Forest land, hill areas, and barren lands with impunity. One such instance is playing out in Paikarapur village under Dharmasala tehsil where Maruti Stone Products and Suppliers, a crusher unit, is operating on government land (plot number 1, under khata number 252) belongs to Irrigation Department.
Some time ago, local residents had filed a complaint with the Chief Secretary, Manoj Ahuja, over the issue. Following this, Alok Kumar Kar, the Additional Secretary of the State Water Resources Department, directed the Superintendent Engineer of the Jajpur Irrigation Division to investigate the matter. The directive emphasised the need for urgent action. Maruti Stone Products and Suppliers, locals alleged in their letter to the Chief Secretary, has been carrying out business on government land under the Minor Irrigation Department in Paikarapur for the past ten years. Although an NOC was issued to the crusher in 2018, it is alleged that the unit has extracted over a hundred truckloads of black stones from the hill near the Paikarapur Minor Irrigation Project. This has resulted in the creation of a pond-like pool on the hill, preventing rainwater from reaching the irrigation project. As a result, farmers are deprived of getting the water required for their irrigation needs. It is also alleged that several officials from the Minor Irrigation Department are receiving monthly bribes from the crusher owners to turn a blind eye to the blatant violation. Illegal blasting and transportation have exacerbated pollution issues in the area. This leaves one wonder how the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) and the district administration granted an NOC to a crusher operating on government land.
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Of late, the Minor Irrigation Department lodged a complaint with the local police, demanding the recovery of government land. Notably, in 2015, a notification was issued for strict action against illegal crushers in the Dharmasala and Danagadi tehsils of the district. Following the directive, the district administration had sealed over a hundred crushers in the past nine years. However, many of these crushers resumed operation after a while. Considering the livelihood issues of the workers, the administration had promised to relocate the sealed crusher units to four specific clusters in the district. Although the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) has completed the construction of these clusters, they are still to be operational. As a result, the crusher units continue to operate along national highways and residential roads, leading to significant pollution problems.
