Illegal stone chip mining and rampant felling of trees are posing serious threat to environment in Garhwa. According to sources, as many as 100 stone chips crushers units operating across the foothills, seriously damaging the mountain and its natural balance.
Every day, more than a three dozen small and big trucks loaded with stone chips head towards crusher mill in the district. Timber mafia, too wreaking havoc on the green park. According to geologists and environmentalists, if the misuse of the mountain continue unabated, the hills may face massive landslides and soil erosion in the near future.
The life span of the mountain is shrinking fast owing to mining of stone chips, they pointed out. District Mining Department, has an excuse that in the absence of manpower with him it is not possible to check illegal mining.
An officer accepted there are over 200 points in the district where illegal mining usually takes place. The Mining Department alone cannot check these points, government should also involve the Forest Department, SDMs in checking the illegal mining, only then fruitful results can be expected. I have been written letters to SDM Garhwa, Ranka and Nagar Untari for cooperate in checking of illegal mining but yet be any result come up, he claimed. He admitted about 20 illegal crusher mills running in the district.
The Government authorities have been allowing stone crushers to crush the existing stock, about 100 crushers are indulging in illegal mining in the district, allegedly in connivance with the mining authorities,sources said. Apart from this, the state exchequer too is losing royalty to the tune of crores of rupees every year.