Nilagiri: About 43 stone quarries under the forest and revenue departments in Nilagiri area of Balasore district have been closed since 2013 after an elephant corridor was declared, but the authorities have not been able to stop rampant illegal mining, which is posing serious threat to the ecology.
According to sources, though official documents show that stone quarries have been closed, the mafia has been illegally extracting stone from over 100 places in the area, causing loss of revenue to the government to the tune of `3 crore per annum.
Locals alleged truckloads of illegally quarried stone are transported to various parts of the district and outside. Raids are being carried out on quarries but the action is mere eyewash, they claimed.
According to reports, 103 stone quarries under Nilagiri tehsil and forest department had been auctioned in 2010-11 and raised `6 crore as revenue.
In 2011-12, 43 stone quarries after being put under hammers had raised `3,3,70,700. Likewise, in 2012-13, `1,54,900 was raised from auctioning of 26 stone quarries.
However, the administration closed the quarries in 2013-14 when it was alleged that the Mines and Mineral Act was violated while quarrying.
The administration may have stopped the legal way of extracting stone, but the mafia is taking advantage of the situation and has since been actively extracting stone illegally by engaging poor tribals as labourers.
Locals alleged the illegal activity cannot go on without the help of forest and tehsil officials.
They accused the administration of indulging in hogwash by merely conducting raids occasionally.
The raids had yielded `1,42,750 in 2014-15 and `1,80,000 in 2015-16.
However, raids appear to have cut no ice with the mafia, as the latter has been raking in the moolah in crores per annum. Illegal stone trade of about `5 crore is being carried out per annum, some locals said.
Sources said over 50 illegal stone quarries are in operation near Beguani while over 40 others are at Mahisapata, Jamudiaha, Baghamara, Dhobashila, Chalanapal and Kathagochhha. The administration is allegedly lax in taking action against the mafia, locals claimed.
Additional tehsildar Satyanath Nayak, said, “Special squads would be formed to conduct raids. Nobody was arrested from the places where raids were conducted recently. But, baskets, spades and digging implements have been seized.”
Sub-collector Ghasiram Murmu said immediate steps will be taken to check illegal stone quarrying in the area.
Forest ranger Rabinaryan Mohanty claimed that 60 per cent of the illegal stone quarries have been closed while efforts are on to stop mining in remaining quarries. PNN