Badasahi: The mafia has been on looting spree around the Smilipal reserve forests, even though the administration has imposed a ban on illegal stone quarries, a report said.
Every day, local stone mafia carries out blasts and excavates tonnes of stones without any environment clearance and approval of the National Wildlife Board for the activity.
Local environmentalists and social activists have expressed concern over the problem, alleging that the administration has completely failed to rein in the illegal stone trade. The result is that the state government has been losing crores of rupees as revenue.
Besides, stone mining has posed a serious threat to wildlife and local people. It is also causing habitat loss to the fauna.
Reports said illegal stone quarrying is being carried at 20 places in Jadunathpur, Purnachandrapur, Tangashola and Gudialbandh panchayats under Dukura forest range.
What is most alarming is that dynamites are used to trigger blasts in core areas and other places like Bhalupani and Chatanasahi adjoining the reserve forests.
The mafia has also been carrying out stone mining at Dalkishola, Beladunguri and Hatikota.
A major portion of the stone mined here is supplied to four stone crushing units operating within 10 km radius of the Similipal biosphere.
Locals alleged that blasts are carried out in the day time while stones are transported at night. Officials of the revenue and forest departments have failed to check stone blasting and act against the mafia, the locals complained.
Such illegal activities used to take place earlier also. Taking serious note of this, then divisional forest officer had issued a directive vide letter-3064, dated June 22, 2016 to the Badasahi tehsildar asking the latter to close all those stone mines. The tehsildar had taken immediate steps and had closed those mines.
Many seek to know when the administration has officially closed down all mines, how come stone crushing units are availing raw materials.
The forest department has been carrying out raid sometimes by detaining vehicles, but concrete action has been lacking, lamented the locals.
However, Dukura forest ranger Ananta Kumar Jena denied illegal stone mining in the reserve forests as patrolling is being conducted every day. “All such activities are happening clandestinely in revenue areas,” he added.
Tehsildar Amiya Kumar Rout said the police, revenue and forest departments are responsible for curbing illegal stone mining and transportation. Tehsil officials are carrying out raids and collecting penalty from the violators, he added.
He also pointed out that the mafia has become more circumspect due to the raids and carries out such activities at night. Rout said he would apprise the Collector of the need for check posts and special squads to take the mafia to task.
PNN
