Keonjhar: Tension gripped the collectorate premises Saturday over the lease of a stone quarry in Basantpur in the Ghatagaon block of Keonjhar district with hundreds of women demanding cancellation of the mine’s lease.
A large number of women staged protests at the collectorate and submitted a memorandum to the collector.
Collector N Tirumala Nayak said the quarry’s lease had been approved by the Grama Sabha, and that he would see what can be done in the matter. However, the women blocked the collector’s vehicle and staged a demonstration before it.
Police rushed to the spot and rescued the collector. The women had a brush with the police leading to tension for over an hour.
Reports said local trader, Kulu Mohapatra, took the stone quarry at Basantpur Mouza on lease in 2014-15, and it was approved by the Gram Sabha. However, some villagers had opposed it, saying that the Grama Sabha meeting was not conducted properly. They alleged that the lease was illegal.
A few weeks ago when quarrying started locals strongly opposed it leading to a law and order situation. After that villagers called a meeting and passed a proposal to cancel the lease, and requested the administration to accept it.
The women alleged that the lease holder is a district-level BJD leader and that former woman zilla parishad member Prabin Dandapat has been backing him. The protestors also allegedly attacked the woman BJD leader.
Meanwhile, Prabin Dandapat said she had no role in giving the quarry on lease. “Grama Sabha decides on stone quarrying. A former sarpanch is responsible for this problem. The attack on me is a conspiracy,” the former ZP member said.
Sarpanch Durgesh Nayak said the lease was given illegally. She demanded that it be cancelled and the quarry given back to the village as they need the hill.
Trilochan Patra, a villager, backed the sarpanch, saying that the hill was leased out illegally. Villagers have been demanding scrapping of the lease, but no one is paying heed to them, he said. PNN
