Nayagarh: Illegal extraction of black granite stones, more than the permitted amount from the quarries auctioned in Nayagarh district has kicked up a row, sources said Tuesday. They added that the lack of regular checking has led to the loss of precious revenues for the Odisha government.
The sources said that the leaseholders are extracting the excess amount of granite stones with the support of Revenue department officials. Complaints have been lodged in this regard. People in the know of things said that except in Gania, regular inspections are not being carried out in 45 quarries under seven tehsils of the district. Scores of complaints have been lodged with the authorities but they are yet to be addressed.
The sources said that earlier, the district collector and the sub-collectors used to conduct regular raids to prevent illegal extraction. Now it has stopped and has sparked resentment among the residents which if not addressed in time, might snowball into a major agitation. According to the complaints, 13 quarries have been leased out in Ranpur tehsil, 10 in Khandapara, seven in Nayagarh, five each in Bhapur and Daspalla, four in Odagaon, and two in Nuagaon.
Sources informed that illegal extraction has reached such a stage where the leaseholders are meeting the annual extraction limit in just a month. They pointed out that mining is also being done in quarries that do not fall in lease areas. They added that even though the use of explosives has been banned, leaseholders are flouting the rules with impunity. Rules stipulate that tehsil officials should conduct a measurement of the lease areas every three months. They will also check whether extraction is being done as per the rules.
However, the Revenue department officials are not carrying out their responsibilities, sources alleged. Rama Chandra Sahu, a villager of Ranpur block supported the allegations of illegal extraction of granite stones. “All the leaseholders are extracting quantities more than they are allowed to due to the absence of raids or periodic inspections. The leaseholders are allegedly bribing the Revenue officials,” he said. Subrat Sahu of Khandapara locality said the district collector in the recent past had conducted a surprise inspection. It had unnerved the leaseholders.
However, with no follow-up action being taken, the leaseholders are back again to plunder the mines. Sahu pointed out that more such raids should be conducted at regular intervals. Raj Kishore Nayak of Nayagarh tehsil said while the leaseholders are earning in crores, the government is losing precious revenue. When contacted, ADM Bidhan Chandra Ray said that the administration will never hesitate to conduct raids if they receive specific inputs on the illegal mining of granite stones.