Khaira: Vigilance officials from Cuttack have investigated illegalities in stone mining, quarry lease and operation of three stone crushing units at the foot of Sarisua hill under Khaira tehsil in Balasore district. The three-day investigation that included raids on several places ended Thursday. Officials of the forest and environment, labour, energy and revenue departments took part in the raids.
The Vigilance team had mapped the areas of mining operations with the help of an app of the Odisha Space Application Centre.
DSP Nirmal Mohanty said the Vigilance team inquired about mining lease at the tehsil office and took with them the documents of 97 stone quarries.
However, locals said they have several questions unanswered over the Vigilance raids and investigations. The most festering issue for them was persistent explosions in the stone mines since they were leased out. People of peripheral villages like Bageipur, Gabhar, Kutirapal, Kadaligadia and Guapal alleged that relentless explosions have damaged houses, roads and even polluted the environment in the region.
The Vigilance did not look into illegal explosions being carried out in the mines. This has left the locals perplexed because residents of these villages have taken up the issue of illegal stone mining and regular blasting with the district and the block administrations several times in the past.
“Some people have got licence to carry out explosions, but they are detonated innumerable times. We are surprised to know that the Vigilance team did not pay attention to this issue that has posing danger to the people,” they lamented.
The DSP said that the district administration is supposed to look into the issue of explosions.
When stone quarries were lying closed for a few months, local people had a problem in finding work in the locality. They used to migrate to different parts in search of earning opportunities. Some locals engaged by stone traders had staged protests, batting for permission to reopen the mines. The state and Central governments were pressurised to lease out stone quarries while some outfits had opposed it because the area was part of an elephant corridor.
Locals pointed out that the Vigilance team did not look into the issue of labour migration in the last three months of mining operation. “Did the Vigilance look into the fact that if labour migration has really stopped after mining operation and how unsafely labourers are working inside the mines,” they sought to know.
The DSP also admitted that the investigation could not be done in a proper manner as the mines had been closed at that time due to Raja vacations.
Block chairman Jayant Kumar Rout observed that the Vigilance did not carry out the investigation as was expected by locals. Many of them termed the investigation and raids as mere eyewash.
Another DSP Suresh Das said action will be taken if any irregularities are detected.
PNN