CUTTACK: There has been excessive extraction of morrum (laterite material) than permissible limit at Mayurhjhalia under Ranpur tehsil in Nayagarh, state authorities have admitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Moreover, inaction on the part of local revenue officials helped the lessee to extract the minor mineral from an area much larger than for which permit was issued, the state authorities have submitted in their affidavit to NGT.
A survey was conducted at the quarry area on October 31, 2022 and November 1, 2022 following orders of the NGT on a petition filed by social activist Dilip Kumar Samantray. The petition alleged extraction of morrum hundred times more than the permissible quantity by private parties - the lessee and the contractor engaged for laying of six lanes of NH-16 from Tangi to Bhubaneswar.
In an affidavit DoMG G Rajesh said two areas - laterite quarry over four acre and ordinary earth quarry comprising two acre were leased out at Mayurhjhalia. “It was ascertained from the report that mining has been done in over 23 acre against lease area of six acre and a quantity of 53,484 cubic metres of laterite stone and 2,41,768 cubic metres of morrum were excavated illegally,” Rajesh stated in the affidavit.
On the basis of the survey report Nayagarh collector Rabindra Nath Sahu in his affidavit said,
“The lessee has deviated almost all conditions and the local authorities failed to watch government properties. The tehsildar had not followed guidelines before and after issue of temporary permit which helped the lessee to extract morrum as per their sweet will. The local authorities remained silent without any action.”
Sahu further stated that issuing of requisite forms “more than in excess became helpful for the lessee to loot the minor mineral illegally fearlessly from outside of the source”. The NGT’s East Zone bench in Kolkata was hearing a petition on Friday. “Taking note of the affidavits the bench of B. Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and A Senthil Ven (Expert Member) fixed January 18 as next date for further consideration of the matter,” petitioner counsel Sankar Pani said.