Baleshwar: Tension ran high as the Baleshwar district administration launched a demolition drive against illegal brick kilns operating in the eco-sensitive zone of Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Nilagiri subdivision.
Workers employed at the kilns Tuesday staged a road blockade on the Panchalingeswar-Dasharathipur road, demanding clarity on their livelihood and rehabilitation.
Police forcibly removed the protesters after efforts to persuade them to clear the road failed. More than 17 people, including the sarpanch of Baunsabania panchayat, were detained. Authorities imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and deployed six platoons of police to maintain law and order. The operation began with the KD brick kilns in the Panchalingeswar area.
By the time this report was filed, 13 kilns had been demolished, in compliance with an Orissa High Court order directing the authorities to clear the area by the end of October. The drive followed the identification of 14 brick kilns operating within the sanctuary’s eco-sensitive zone by the Forest department.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had issued a notification August 9, 2017, to protect the sanctuary and its wildlife. The kilns’ coal emissions were alleged to be contributing to pollution and threatening the sanctuary’s ecosystem and wildlife. Earlier, one illegal kiln had been demolished, while the remaining units were allegedly allowed to continue operating, prompting questions over selective enforcement. One kiln owner subsequently approached the court, which eventually directed the authorities to demolish 13 illegal kilns.