Illegal sand lifting is growing by the day in Brahman Sitapur village in Gajapati district, causing land erosion and affecting cattle grazing and cultivation on riverside.
Intriguingly, sand mafias are fearlessly lifting sand from morning to evening in the village, which is just three km from the district headquarters town of Paralakhemundi.
Though villagers have lodged complaints to the Revenue Inspector and the Tehsildar many times, no action has been taken yet. Now, sand mafias are using three JCBs and 20 to 25 tractors to transport the sand daily, villagers alleged.
“Massive digging has created big holes on the riverside. While landmass is being eroded, cattle grazing and cultivation activities have been affected severely,” lamented villagers. The villagers have demanded that the district Collector stop illegal sand digging and take stringent action against land mafias soon.