Sambalpur: With construction continuing unabated in and around the city, there is an increasing need for lakhs of cubic metres of soil for the purpose of land filling, building of railway-track and roads.
Contractors and construction companies excavate soil from government and private lands little caring for government guidelines. Soil is smuggled day and night using JCB machines and Haiwa dumpers. The mindless excavation and smuggling has raised questions on the palpable silence of the revenue officials. Are they unaware of the fact or they have a nexus with these people? People ask.
Earlier, a contractor, who had illegally lifted soil for using it in an electrical-grid work near Talapali village, had paid penalties for the wrong doing. In one more case at Sambalpur-Talcher second railway line work, huge quantities of soil are being excavated from Brahmanapali village of Maneswar to Rairakhol. Nearby villagers have alleged that the contractor does not have proper authorisation for mining.
Yet another contractor had lifted soil from a private land. When the landowner protested this, he was threatened by the contractor. Later, it was compromised in the local police station.
Due to sheer negligence of the revenue and forest department officials, soil mafias are now at the helm of affairs. This has given rise to the hooliganism of contractors, construction companies and land mafias. The state government has been losing huge amount of revenue in the process . Some instances are also there when such mafias do not even hesitate to cut down trees.
Apart from loss of soil and revenue, it is also posing a threat to ecology. Local villagers have strongly resented this.
PNN