JAGATSINGHPUR: Irate villagers of Gobardhanpur under Kujang tehsil on Tuesday staged protest opposing lifting of sand from Paika river bed.
The agitators said the administration has auctioned sand quarry over hundreds of acre of land on Paika river bed in Kathkota panchayat. However, nearly 25 acre of the sand quarry is private land, which was illegally auctioned.
Sources said on Monday night, the quarry contractor tried to lift sand from the river bed. However, hundreds of villagers reached the quarry and opposed lifting of sand, forcing the tractor drivers and the contractor to flee the spot.
Sasadhar Das, an agitator, said he owns a patch of land that has been illegally leased out to the quarry contractor. “I used to grow vegetable crops on the land. But with the administration leasing out quarry, I won’t be able to cultivate my land anymore.”
Similarly, another agitator Hari Sethi said sand mining will have an adverse impact on the environment. If the sand is removed, there could be breaches in the river bank, leading to floods in villages.
The agitators accused the local sarpanch of being hand in glove with the sand mafia. However, Kathkota sarpanch Jyostnamayee Pattanaik claimed she had no role in the sand quarry auction.
On being informed about the villagers’ protest, mining officials reached the disputed quarry and assured the agitators to discuss the matter with the district administration. They also directed to stop lifting of land from Paika river bed. Subsequently, the villagers called off their protest in the afternoon.