Kuanramunda: At a time when the administrative machinery is busy dealing with unprecedented Covid-19 situation in the state, the stone mafia has been on a looting spree in Patratoli hill under Biramitrapur tehsil in Sundargarh district.
The area was once rich with greenery, but sadly the hilly terrain is fast losing its flora and fauna due to rampant stone mining, a report said.
Apart from stone, other minor minerals like sand and murram are also looted with impunity in the same area for the last one year.
On the other hand, the government is losing revenue worth crores of rupees owing to the illegal activity.
Granite stone quarrying is going on just 2 km from the tehsil office, but forest and revenue departments are doing nothing to check the illegal activity, despite repeated complaints, locals alleged.
The hill is increasingly losing its existence due to the stone mining. Locals, environmentalists and wildlife activists voiced their concern over the increasing threat to the hill.
The mafia has been carrying out explosions in the hill while scores of excavators and heavy vehicles are being engaged day and night. The nearby residents have lost their sleep over explosions while their houses have reportedly developed cracks owing to ear-shattering explosions. Houses of Mukut Lagun (a BSF jawan), Anthony Lagun and Nelson Lagun have developed cracks, it was alleged.
Locals alleged that the mafia has been supplying stone to some stone crushing units at Biramitrapur, Bijabahal and other areas every day.
Due to plying of the heavy vehicles, the rural roads are getting damaged, they lamented. The expanding stone quarry has left an adverse impact on the ecology with a number of trees being felled on a daily basis.
When all such illegal activities are taking place in broad daylight, the forest and revenue departments pretend to be not aware of this fact, raising many eyebrows.
Upset over illegal stone mining, villagers of Dhangrinacha approached the tehsildar and apprised him of various problems due to stone mining. They demanded immediate halt to the illegal mining.
Acting upon the complaint, the tehsildar visited Dhangrinacha village and inspected the cracks in the houses, but did not take any action against the mafia.
The locals warned of agitation if the tehsil administration fails to act against the illegal stone mining. They urged the district administration to take step against stone mining in the area.
PNN
