Post News Network
Jeypore, Dec 18: Blasting of hills by illegal stone miners in Koraput district has led to residents of several tehsils living in a grip of fear, as their houses have weakened to the point of collapse due to the relentless drilling.
A concerned district collector V Jayakumar Friday ordered all tehsildars in the district to submit a report within three days on the illegal mining activities in 14 blocks of the district.
Residents claim that the owners of several crusher units in the district are conducting stone quarrying on the hills in blatant violation of a ban that was imposed by the administration. Several houses have developed cracks and are on the verge of collapse, they said.
The revenue department has also asked officials to come up with reports on the number of crusher units operating in the area.
According to reports, the mining is going on unabated on the hills of Ranigarh, Chhatarla, Pujariput, Parajaguda, Jayantgiri and other villages in this block. Most of the houses in these villages have been affected as a result. Panicked villagers living in Chhatarla under Pujariput panchayat near Bhimkuja hill met Jeypore additional tehsildar Shashanka Mishra a few days back stating that they were robbed of their peace of mind due to the mining menace. Villagers of Jayantgiri said they are now forced to walk an additional three km in order to reach the local bus stand due to the mining activity.
The mining mafia has recently started a quarry on Dangiriaguda hill and the residents of Dangiriaguda village have been spending sleepless nights due to the nonstop noise, they said.
“I have asked revenue supervisors and revenue inspectors to submit reports on the number of crusher units operating in the area,” the additional tehsildar said. The collector would be apprised after a review is conducted, he added.