Ghasipura: Locals expressed grave concern over the fast dwindling of greenery in Kantipal panchayat under Anandapur block in Keonjhar district because the stone mafia has been stripping it to make way for stone quarrying.
The stone mafia makes big bucks from such illegal activities after obtaining temporary permits, the locals alleged. In many pockets, the forested parts are pock marked with hollows and craters.
Upset over rampant stone mining, the local people blamed the administration for its inaction against stone mafia. They warned of an agitation if immediate steps were not taken against the illegal ecocide.
Kantipal panchayat comprises three revenue villages with a population of 8,000. The locals, who mainly depend on forests for their livelihood, have been protecting the environment by way of plantation. The panchayat has also received the Prakruti Mitra award for its eco-protective activities.
Indramani Nayak, a resident, said that earlier people used to depend on forests, but trees and creepers in the forests have now been vanishing due to stone mining.
Minor forest produce are no more available here while ear-shattering explosions from stone quarries have made their life miserable, he added.
The presence of a stone crushing unit has been attributed for some of the problems being faced by the people here. A construction firm has set up the unit amid forest near the left canal of Baitarani. The firm has been using gravel and stones for canal construction.
Earlier, the revenue department had put the mounds under auction, but this year there was no such move so far.
Citing development work, some influential mafia has been looting stone and supplying it to the stone crusher unit. The stone crushing goes on round the clock, instead of running it for limited hours, the locals lamented.
“Clouds of dust from the stone crusher are polluting the ambient air before settling down on farmlands. The construction firm with the help of mafia has been clearing the forests to mine stone at their will. Boulders and gravels are supplied to the stone crushing unit for making chips. Two small mounds in the area are on the verge of vanishing due to wanton stone mining,” locals rued.
They said that they have drawn the attention of the collector, Anandapur sub-collector and tehsildar.
Sushant Sahu of Biridiha alleged that farming has been affected by stone dust falling on the farmland. The situation demands an urgent action against the mafia, he added. PNN
