Illegal black stone quarry- one killed   in a cave- in an incident

By Akshya Rout

Jajpur, Sept 17 :  A  worker  was  killed  on  Saturday   in a cave-in incident in an illegal black stone quarry at Rahadapur   hillock  under Jenapur  police station  of  Jajpur district. A portion of the hillock caved in   while  some workers  were doing illegal  black stone-  quarry works  .

 Police seized the body   and sent it  to the local government hospital  at Dharamsala for autopsy , said the IIC of Jenapur police station, Suvendu Kumar Sahoo. Palpable tension has mounted at  Rahadapur  after this incident as many locals demanded stern action against the persons who  illegally engaged workers to quarry the hillock.

Deputy director of mines (minor minerals), Jayaprakash Nayak said complaints have been lodged at the Jenapur police stations against the two lease holders who had alleged hands in illegal extractions of blackstones. He Said  Few Day latter “We have filed certificate cases against 18 black-stone quarry leaseholders before the District Collector of Jajpur. This action comes after they failed to pay the penalty imposed by the revenue department last year.

 The penalty was levied in response to illegal mining activities carried out at various hills under the jurisdiction of Dharmasala Tehsil.” Dharmasala MLA Himanshu Sahoo expressed deep concern over the rampant irregularities in mining operations, specifically targeting the previous administration. “There have been massive irregularities in mining operations during the tenure of the previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government. These unlawful practices have not only drained the state’s resources but have also caused environmental degradation. Stern action will be taken against those responsible,” Sahoo stated.