From Our Correspondent
PHULBARI, Jan 8: A recent visit to the villages of Balujhora and Malijhora, both of which fall under the Rajabala constituency in West Garo Hills (WGH), was an eye-opener to what exactly is wrong with the current system in place to check illegal acts pertaining to stone quarrying.
The visit showed the presence of at least 40 stone quarries in the aforesaid villages with locals pointing that there were more than 100 such setups in the villages of Balujhora, Malijhora, Babilgre, Thombagre, Katolbari, Pearadanga and Goalgaon, all of which fall under the same constituency.
Besides the presence of these illegal quarries, the area also has another seven illegal stone crushers, all of which operate without any form of licensing.
Balujhora is about six km from the town and Phulbari, and 16 km from New Bhaitbari with the area falling under the GHADC Phulbari Range and an extended part of the Hollaidanga Range under the state Forest department.
However, despite the presence of both the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) and state Forest teams, each of these setups have been running right under the noses of those that are supposed to check these illegal acts.
What is even more shocking is the fact that, as per sources, the departments may actually be encouraging these illegal setups.
During the recent visit, just prior to entering the kutcha road that leads to many of these quarries (near the FDCM office), two employees of the GHADC were seen sitting on the road nearby, apparently waiting for vehicles with loads to come through the route so that cut money can be taken.
Sources said that Rs 100 per pick-up and Rs 500 per truck are collected by the group, none of which ever reach the coffers of the Council.
“These quarries and crushers are operating completely illegally as no license has been provided for the procurement of stones from our area. The setups are just by the side of the road, so neither the state nor the GHADC forest department can claim that they are unaware of what is happening. Is it not their duty to put a stop to these illegal operations? Why has no action been taken against them,” said a resident of the area, requesting anonymity.
Locals also added that at least 1,000 vehicles have been running per day and through the night as well. Most of the major quarries produce at least 25 pickups of stones while smaller ones manage about 5-10 on a daily basis.
What is even more dumbfounding is the fact that dynamite is being used in these quarries to procure stones without any of the operators even having an explosive license.
Another resident from the same area lamented how it was becoming extremely difficult for nearby residents due of the use of explosives carried throughout the night.
“My house, which is about 1 km away, shakes every night when they use explosives to blast through stones. We have provided information to both the GHADC Forest and the state on what is taking place but to no avail.Seems all of them just want to look the other way and allow this nuisance to continue unabated. This definitely indicates that something is happening behind the scenes,” the local said on condition of anonymity.
Early last year, another report on the cases of illegal stone quarrying from the same area had been carried out though, despite some formal visits, no concrete action has been initiated in the least.
Then employees of the FDCM had gone on record to state that debris from explosive use in a quarry near their office had even hit the roof and walls of the office. They, too, had informed forest officials though, despite their report, nothing came of it.
For the operation of a legal quarry, no-objection certificates (NOCs) are required from various departments including Forest, GHADC, Pollution, PWD and PHE among others. Legal norms are required to be followed, which include distance between quarries, proximity to villages and roads.
However, in the case of these aforesaid villages, it is obvious that all laws have been flouted and there is definitely more to what is happening than meets the eye.
Unless the departments concerned actually take stringent action against these illegal operators, residents of these villages will continue to live under a nightmare for many more months to come.