ROURKELA | Aug 03, 2015: Sundargarh district administration on Saturday ordered closure of a stone quarry at Balanda and sealed a crusher unit at Gotidharan near here for flouting environment norms.
According to sources, Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Rourkela, K Sudershan Chakravorty and SP Anirudh Singh on Saturday visited the stone quarry and crusher unit owned by the same person and verified the document.
Lathikata Tehsildar Sushant Singh said the leasehold area of the stone quarry was demarcated as per the direction of the ADM on Sunday and a report would be submitted. There are about 28 stone quarries under his jurisdiction, said Singh, adding five of those are running with temporary permissions, while 19 others were auctioned. As per the amended norms, stone quarry owners would be required to obtain mining plan and environment clearance before operating quarries.
Regional Officer, Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), Niranjan Mallick said the stone quarry at Balanda was closed and the crusher unit at Gotidharan sealed. Under the new provisions, any quarry having leasehold area upto five hectare (ha) would have to obtain environment clearance from State Impact Assessment Authority and any quarry above that limit would have to apply to OSPCB.
On July 3, the officials of Rourkela forest division raided an illegal stone quarry operating on revenue forest land of Kalosihiria in Kuanrmunda block and confiscated two tractor-mounted compressor machines and two tippers laden with 400 cubic feet of boulders. Four persons were arrested and forwarded to court.
Sources said numerous illegal stone quarries are engaged in mining stones in forest areas of Panposh and Bonai sub-divisions.
(Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/)