Chhatrapur: Ganjam district administration foiled a bid to smuggle granite to Bangladesh from Gopalpur Port by stopping illegal loading of a consignment into a ship, according to a report.
Granite chips and sand were kept ready to be smuggled out to Bangladesh. Loading of small stones, which are being crushed into chips on the port premises, into trailers is still going on and sand from river Rushikulya is being dumped there to be transported to the neighbouring country, sources said.
Though the vessel loaded with granite stones have moved to a distance from the jetty, it was not under vigil of the Marine police, it was leant. There is restriction on transport of granite stones out of the state under Orissa Minor Mineral Concession (Amendment) Rule-4.
Earlier, a team, on being directed by collector Premchandra Choudhury, went to the port Tuesday to verify the allegation. However, the port authorities could not provide a satisfactory explanation over the matter following which the administration stopped the loading. Later, a show-cause notice was served on the port’s director as well as the lessee of the stone quarry Manmohan Maharana by Chhatrapur tehsildar.
Though the lease holder responded to the notice, it was far from satisfactory, sources said. After the director, the needle of suspicion is pointed at some customs officials, the sources added. The collector said the answers filed by the port director are being examined.
The administration granted lease to port’s director to extract granite stones from Palur hill under Kanishi tehsil. PNN
