Puri: Illegal lifting of soil and sand from riverbanks and public lands has become a regular affair in the Puri district.
The administration has failed to take action against illegal sand lifting despite repeated complaints from the villagers, sources said.
The villagers of Balipada under Puri Sadar block have recently lodged a complaint with regard to illegal sand and soil lifting from Bhargavi riverbed with the local tehsildar.
As per the complaint, an influential person of Balipada has been lifting huge quantities of soil and sand illegally from Bhargavi riverbed for the last several months. The person concerned has deployed several earthmovers and tractors to lift sand.
“Illegal soil lifting has weakened Bhargavi embankment and made the locality prone to floods. Besides, the river may change its course due to the illegal activities. The villagers have raised the issue with the local revenue inspector (RI) time and again, but to no avail,” said the complaint.
The villagers have urged the tehsildar to initiate a probe into the incident and take action against the persons concerned.
“We had raised the illegal soil lifting issue with the tehsildar January 13, but no action has yet been taken on the issue. The person concerned is still lifting soil illegally from the riverbed,” rued a villager of Balipada.