Rohtas administration launches drive to close stone crushing units
After the cancellation of no objection certificate by the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) the district administration has launched a campaign to remove all stone crushing units. Within the last three days, about three dozen crushing units have been removed by the administration while the same number has been removed by the owners themselves to avoid legal action.Sources said that on the third day of its campaign on Thursday, the Rohtas administration has removed about one dozen units from Gopibigha, Dawanpur and other areas of Sasaram and Dehri-on-Sone. About 11 lakh cft stone chips worth Rs 6 crore have also been seized and after proper procedure, the stone chips, mined from the forest area of Kaimur hills, would be confiscated, said DPRO Ravi Bhushan Sahay in a press release on Thursday. The press release claimed that the campaign would continue till the last illegal crusher unit is removed.Unabated illegal mining in Kaimur hills has brought a bad name to the Rohtas district administration. Raids in the mining area and seizure of vehicles and equipment involved in the illegal mining from time to time by the administration also failed to fetch the desired result. Despite sealing of illegal crusher units, their wheel continues to run. Surprise raids by a team of state economics offence wing last year failed to check illegal mining. Even after ban on illegal mining by the state government two years back, one dozen persons lost their lives in explosion during illegal mining. Despite complete ban on mining by the state government two years back, stone mining has been going on unabated in the district as the administration has failed to protect the 300 acre stretch of Kaimur hills.Sources said after failing to get the desired result, the administration decided to remove all 125 crusher units and the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) cancelled no objection certificate required for running the unit and informed the administration of this. Armed with the SPCB order, the administration started removal of these units.Due to illegal mining, the state government is losing lakhs of rupees as exchequer because after the banning on illegal stone mining in the state, the government has made provision of carriage charge of stone from neighbouring Jharkhand for contractors. They use the stone from Kaimur hills in the construction work but pay royalty to Jharkhand. Sources said that within the last one fortnight, one dozen trucks laden with stone from the Kaimur hills were seized by the police. The police found that the chalan of mining department of Jharkhand was being used by them.
