Rourkela: State govt has ordered an investigation into alleged illegal mining activities and deforestation in Sundargarh district’s Hemgir and Koida areas.
Additional secretary of steel and mines department, Daulat Chandrakar, has directed Sundargarh collector Manoj Satyawan Mahajan to conduct a thorough inquiry and submit a detailed report. The order comes in response to concerns raised by deputy speaker and Talsara MLA Bhabani Shankar Bhoi.
In a letter to chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi earlier this month, Bhoi highlighted the extensive illegal mining of coal, iron and manganese in the forest areas. He warned that these activities pose a serious threat to both the environment and the livelihood of local communities.
“Mining mafias are using heavy machinery for illegal extraction and transportation of minerals to various parts of Odisha and neighbouring states,” Bhoi alleged. He also pointed out that officials of the district administration, mining and forest departments were either uncooperative or inexperienced in preventing such activities.
The deputy speaker has called for the formation of a special task force and increased surveillance at state’s border points. He also recommended launching awareness programmes involving local villagers to protect forest resources and the environment.
The issue came to light following the discovery of large-scale illegal coal mining operations in the forests of Hemgir tehsil.