Forest dept begins probe into illegal mining at Nischinta hill
2
Bhubaneswar: The forest department has initiated an investigation into alleged illegal mining activities at Nischinta reserve hill, located on the Dhenkanal-Jajpur border.
The action follows a complaint regarding illegal operations on revenue land adjacent to forest and hilly areas.
Principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF), Suresh Pant, has directed Dhenkanal divisional forest officer (DFO) Sumit Kar to conduct a thorough inquiry and submit a detailed report. "Dhenkanal DFO is asked to take immediate steps for inquiry and take necessary action as per law," the PCCF wrote on X as soon as he received the complaint.
Kar confirmed that he was asked to look into the alleged mining activities on the hilly patches close to revenue land. "The Dhenkanal-Jajpur border is porous. We will identify who actually is/are excavating the area without valid permission. Earlier also, we had carried out inspection and stopped illegal mining operations," Kar said, adding that a joint enforcement operation with the mining department is currently underway to address the issue.
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Preliminary findings suggest the presence of unauthorised crusher units operating in the area, exacerbating the environmental impact. The illegal mining activities reportedly disrupted the traditional movement routes of elephants, leading to habitat fragmentation and potential human-wildlife conflicts.
Local communities and environmentalists expressed concern regarding the ecological damage and threat to wildlife.
"Nischinta reserve hill, broad daylight loot conducted by organised lootera gang at village Nilhalprasad, Dhenkanal," Nabin Nanda, former Dhenkanal MLA, posted on X.
Earlier, wildlife activist Biswajit Mohanty had revealed that Hindol and Odapada tehsils have the highest concentration of stone quarries, and most of them are illegal. "The crater that develops after mining the stone quarries becomes at least 30m-40m deep. While the craters should be filled up after mining operation, as per rules under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, this is not done," Mohanty said.
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