Bhawanipatna: Rampant smuggling of gemstones from Bondoguda and other mines about 15km from Junagarh town in Kalahandi district has led to the loss of revenue worth crores to the state exchequer, sources informed Monday. Gemstones deposits worth many crores are available in the district. Yet people are migrating to other states for work because of the absence of a gemstone processing unit, sources said.
So as local people suffer, mafias reap rich profits from gemstone smuggling. People alleged that due to the lack of action by the police, Mines department, and district administration, the mining mafia is having a field day. It has been alleged that precious stones like quartz, blue sapphire (neelam), ruby (manikya), moonstone, emerald (panna) are being illegally extracted from mines in Bondoguda, Jilingpadar, Rabandangar, Linedangar and Hinjilibahali under Junagarh block, Lavanyasar, Olbahali, Kashipadar, Kendukupla, Kunkuta, Bhaluchuan, Makarchuan, Udrung, Olma, Bandhananagar under Bhawanipatna block and in some parts of T Rampur block The Hinjilibahali and Jilingpadar gemstone mines were being utilised by the state-owned Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) some 30 years back.
Later, a company by the name of ‘Gemco’ was awarded the contract for mining. However, now extraction has completely stopped in all the mines. Security of the mines is the responsibility of the Odisha government, sources stated. Residents have expressed shock over illegal mining and have demanded a Vigilance probe into the irregularities. Things have come to such a pass, that the mafia does not even hesitate to extract gemstones from the mines during daytime. They utilise the services of minors and elderly persons to carry out the extraction of gemstones.
However, strangely the authorities and the cops are unaware of the illegal activities. Sources said the mining of gemstones is taking place in reserve forests, proposed and rural forest areas, but the Mines department and district administration are yet to take any action. They added that illegal mining is also rampant close to the Karlapat wildlife sanctuary. The sources also informed that illegal mining of gemstones is not a recent development, but has been happening for a few decades now. Locals alleged that the reach of the gangs who indulge in illegal mining is across the country and even abroad. They said that the gemstones are smuggled to Surat and some places in Rajasthan.
However, while the criminals reap huge profits from the smuggling of gemstones, local people remain deprived. Local intelligentsia has demanded the setting up of a processing unit so that it will generate employment for the residents here.