Kalinganagar: Many local residents Sunday alleged that mafias have been using fake transit permits (TPs) for illegal transportation of chips and murram and stacking the minor minerals on an around ten-acre patch of land at Digambarpur Square near Sasan area of Jajpur.
The open field is located in the close vicinity of Kalinganagar Industrial Complex (KIC) in the district. The stacked minerals, in turn, are being supplied to different contract firms who are carrying out expansion works of various industrial units in the KIC, the residents added.
It is said that the local mafias deposit revenue of around Rs 1 lakh at Danagadi tehsil office and in exchange of that they illegally quarry and transport the minor minerals worth more than Rs 5 crore. As a result, the state government loses revenue to a tune of crores of rupees.
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Allegedly, the delicate issue was often brought by the residents to the knowledge of tehsil officials. However, the administration is in limbo. Huge amount of kickbacks are used to escape any legal action.
According to a private source, murram is rampantly being looted from Manoharpur and Jakhapura mouzas under Danagadi tehsil of Jajpur district for more than the last six months. The murram stacked near Digambarpur Square appears like a mound from short distance.
The vast yard near Digambarpur Square grossly violates prescribed norms of the Central government as envisaged in the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015.
Besides, the unauthorised mineral yard has been causing air pollution in the region. A number of illegal stone crusher units have also mushroomed on the foothills of Chadheidhara, Dankari, Rahadapur, Kusunpur, Bichhakhandi and Bajabati under Dharmasala tehsil.
Jajpur district administration has, at times, taken steps to seal such crusher units. However, the steps were meant to identify the location and unit owners to facilitate collection of Batti (kickbacks) alone. Hundreds of Hyva trucks illegally transport the minor minerals to Digambarpur Square yard every day, the local residents stated.
Some staffs of Jenapur, Jakhapura and Kalinganagar police stations of Jajpur also allegedly extend indirect support to the minor mineral mafias, apart from tehsil officials. Misappropriations will certainly surface, if a detailed probe will be conducted by scrutinising the TPs issued in the past days to supply chips and murram for expansion works of various industrial units in the KIC, the residents opined.
PNN
