CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday directed the deputy director of mines, Jajpur, to conduct a fresh inquiry into alleged illegal stone quarrying at Rahadpur cluster under Dharmsala tehsil in the district.
Local residents led by one Babuli Jena had alleged that illegal quarrying in the form of excess mining was being done close to two minor irrigation projects (MIPs).
The petition alleged that houses, roads, agricultural lands have been damaged due to illegal and uncontrolled blasting for stone mining. The quarrying had led to depletion of groundwater and pollution was also impacting the Ranibandha and Paikrapur MIPs along with causing siltation of the dam.
The NGT’s East Zone bench of B Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and Arun Kumar Verma (Expert Member) ordered the fresh inquiry to assess the quantum of minor minerals excavated, mining beyond lease area and excess mining at Rahadpur with the assistance of the Odisha Space Applications Centre (ORSAC).
The bench expected the inquiry to obtain an accurate picture with regard to the distance of the minor irrigation projects (Paikarapur and Ranibandh) from the quarry lease area and Rahadpur cluster with ORSAC’s assistance.
The tribunal posted the matter to February 14, 2025 and directed for submission of the inquiry report by then.
The petitioners through their counsels - Sankar Prasad Pani and Asutosh Padhy - alleged that the inquiry report of the committee formed earlier by the tribunal was absolutely vague. The report was trying to protect the illegal mining so as to cover up the lapses on part of the regulatory authorities that granted consent to operate (CTO) and was accountable for monitoring compliance of the conditions, they alleged.
The Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) had submitted the inquiry report along with an affidavit stating that dam of the MIPs was over 200 metre from the leased quarry area.