Chandikhole: Illegal excavation of Chandia hill near the world-famous Buddhist shrine Udayagiri under Darpan tehsil in Jajpur district has created resentment among the locals. They have alleged that excavation is being carried out for smuggling of precious stones. The world-famous Buddhist shrines of Udayagiri, Lalitgiri and Ratnagiri are known as the ‘Diamond Triangle’ in the tourism map of the world. The place is a favourite destination for tourists, both from India and abroad. The Odisha government had announced in a gazette notification last year the decision to dig up the hill under the ABADHA scheme. The Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) was assigned the responsibility to do the job.
However, the OMC is yet to start work. Locals alleged that the delay on part of the OMC has only emboldened the stone mafia to plunder the hill with impunity. They informed that the ancient Buddhist artifacts hidden underneath the Udayagiri shrine are being dug up. The Chandia hill lying close to Udayagiri is a storehouse of precious stones. The stones are used to build different types of idols and their prices range from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1,00,000 in the domestic and international markets. Due to availability of such precious stones, miscreants are now digging up the hill and smuggling is rampant, locals said and added that police and the tehsil officials are playing the role of mute spectators.
Neither are they taking any action against the stone mafia, nor are they taking preventive measures to curb smuggling, locals alleged. Due to its close proximity to Udayagiri, environmentalists and Buddhist researchers have warned that the Chandia hill should not be dug up as many ancient artifacts might be hidden under it. A month back, Balichandrapur police seized two tractors during excavation of the hill. However, it failed to deter the smugglers as they continue to be active due to lack of any systematic crackdown by the tehsil and police officials.
The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) during the ‘World Heritage Week’ celebration at Udayagiri in 2007 had announced that the hills surrounding the Buddhist shrine will not be excavated and will be turned into a green cover. This will help the ‘Diamond Triangle’ find a place in the World Heritage Site list. The announcement has not turned into a reality still. Due to illegal excavation, UNESCO has also failed to conduct a survey for placing the site in its heritage list.
Locals have demanded immediate and stringent action against the illegal excavators. When contacted, Darpan tehsildar Subhadarshan Mishra said that he is new to the place and is not aware of the illegal excavation of the hill. He however, assured of action within a day or two if the charges are found to be true.