JAJPUR: BJP leader of Dharmasala in Jajpur district and RTI activist Sarbeswar Behura was arrested on charges of illegally excavating and transporting earth and morrum from government land at Saroi village on Wednesday. Behura was held following a complaint lodged by Dharmasala tehsildar Swagat Das against him and two others with Dharmasala police on Tuesday.
Besides Behura, police have arrested five others including some drivers of the tractors and a JCB. Five tractors and a JCB engaged in illegal mining have also been seized. On being tipped about illegal mining at Saroi village, Das proceeded to the spot along with a team on Tuesday, the complaint stated. He found five tractors and a JCB machine excavating and transporting earth and morrum illegally from the government land at Saroi, it further mentioned.
“When we tried to catch them, they tried to escape from the spot with their vehicles. Meanwhile, local police arrived at the spot and our team along with police managed to catch all six vehicles along with five of its drivers,” said the tehsildar in his complaint. Police seized all vehicles used in the illegal mining and brought them to the police station along with five drivers.
During interrogation the drivers revealed that they have excavated over 100 trips of earth and morrum from the government land at Saroi village and dumped them on private land owned by Sarbeswar Behura, Shaik Sahebjan and Shaik Jabir. Based on the complaint police registered a case under 379 and 34 of IPC and section 21 of Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation (MMDR) Act and started investigation.
Police arrested Behura on Wednesday from his Jaraka residence and forwarded him to court. Contacted, Jajpur collector Chakravarti Singh Rathore said the district administration has been conducting its enforcement on illegal mining. “We have imposed fine of over Rs 300 crore on the illegal miners and filed over 100 FIRs against the violators in the last two years to curb illegal mining in the district,” he said.