May 13th 2024.
In the district of Jajpur, in the panchayat of Aruha, concerns have been raised over the rampant illegal mining of black stones in nearby quarries. This has not only put the lives of the students at Tarakasuni Primary School in danger, but it has also raised concerns about the safety of trains on the nearby tracks. The locals have reported that the miners show no regard for the safety of the children while blasting away at the quarries to extract the black stones.
Disturbingly, there are four other quarries in the same panchayat that are also extracting black stones. These quarries are situated very close to a rail line, farmlands, and the primary school. The loud noises from the explosives and the pollutants emitted from the quarries and nearby crusher units are seriously impacting the health of the children. The residents of the area are fed up with this situation and have submitted a written complaint to the Jajpur Collector, demanding immediate closure of the illegal quarries and strict legal action against those involved.
It has been reported that these quarries are violating pollution norms and are operating without any penalties being imposed by revenue officials. Despite satellite mapping of the mines being carried out, no action has been taken against the leaseholders. The residents have also noted that two of these quarries are located only 500 meters away from the school, while others are situated just 200 meters from the railway track. This has caused great concern for the safety of the track and the trains running on it.
The situation is made worse by the presence of four stone crusher units near the black stone quarries. These units are causing heavy air and sound pollution, making it difficult for the students to study and severely affecting their health. In response, over 100 villagers have joined together to submit a written complaint to the district Collector, including names like Nirmal Nayak, Harihar Sahu, Pratap Rana, Anand Behera, Pramod Behera, Anam Behera, Sahadev Rana, Mohan Nayak, Chittaranjan Jena, and others.
It is worth noting that until recently, the Minor Minerals Department was under the Revenue Department, but now it has its own separate office in Jajpur. However, it has been alleged that after the establishment of this office, illegal mining and smuggling of minor minerals have become rampant in the district. This has led to concerns among the residents that illegal black stone mining and smuggling may not be limited to just Aruha panchayat, but may also be taking place in other areas such as Dankari, Rahadpur, and Bichhakhandi hills under Dharmasala tehsil.
Residents have also reported that a company called VCI Industries Private Ltd has been illegally mining murrams and smuggling them out of the state. This company had been granted land by the state government for the establishment of a plant, but instead, they have been using it for mining and smuggling murrams worth crores of rupees. This has caused great anger and frustration among the residents of the area.
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