Black stone illegal mining: Tehsil admin verifies measurements of 12 quarries at Dankari hill

Jajpur: Dharmasala tehsil administration verified the measurements of at least 12 black stone quarries located at Dankari hill of Jajpur, today. The drive was started yesterday after the minor mineral worth crores of rupees was found to have been used in different projects in the district.

An official source said that illegal mining of the black stone is being carried out rampantly in Dharmasala tehsil. The administration has started dealing with it hard-handedly to curb the activity.

Measurements are being verified through drone cameras and satellite survey method by M/s World Consultancy Survey (WCS) to find out the exact amount of black stone mined. Two such quarries were measured in Barada locality yesterday, the administrative source added.

The mines included two in Barada mouza owned by Prahallad Lenka and Ajit Sahoo. The twelve mines at Dankari hill included two owned by Narayan Rout, Sribatsa Jena (two), Jyotsna Jena (one), Niranjan Rout (two), ST Mineral (two), Ranjan Jena (one) and two more newly allotted ones.

Quarries located at Rahadpur and Baramana will be verified soon, the revenue official informed.

It is pertinent to mention, as many as four leaseholders previously were slapped a total fine of Rs 105 crore for illegal and excess mining of black stone, based on drone survey findings.