Dhunkapada villagers oppose mining on hill
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Berhampur: Several villagers of Dhunkapada in Ganjam district's Polasara block have opposed mining on Dahi Mundia hill in the village as it is home to many endangered species and they organise
Giri Gobardhan puja
on the hill every year to worship Lord Krishna.
A private mining company was granted permission to extract decorative stones from 57.667 acres on Sept 19, 2022. Due to the strong opposition from villagers, the company could start work only recently. The villagers have written to officers, including the Ganjam collector, mining officer, and divisional forest officer (DFO), to stop the work to protect the hill and animals.
"There is an ancient Shiva temple and a water body (Duanaghai pond) near the hill.
The hill area is also the habitat of several endangered animals like blackbuck, spotted deer and peacocks. The animals roam freely in the area and use the water body for drinking purposes. Mining has not only affected the religious sentiments but also destroyed their habitat," said Arati Devi, former sarpanch of Dhunkapada.
She alleged that the company does not have the environment clearance for mining and did not take the opinion of villagers by holding a gram sabha.
"We demand the mining lease of the company be cancelled and it be directed to stop mining activities," added Dhruba Charan Mohanty, a villager.
Collector (Ganjam) Dibya Jyoti Parida said the company obtained all necessary documents for mining in the hill area. "Despite it, I have directed the tehsildar of Polasara to inquire into the allegations of the villagers," he said. "If we find the allegations to be true, we will move to cancel the mining lease of the company," Parida said.
DFO, Ghumusar South forest division, B K Acharya said they had earlier written a letter to the mining officer about the concern of the villagers and requested them to take appropriate steps.
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