District Collector Debaraj Senapati directed all the tehsildars to close down the illegal brick kilns set up in the district by violating the norms.
According to deputy Collector Sanjay Kumar Rout, due to the large numbers of brick kilns, the day temperature has increased in the district. They have also led to massive land degradation and soil erosion.
Recently, some intellectual masses have brought the alleged matter before the notice of the district Collector and demanded closure of the illegal brick kilns. They told that due to the lifting of top soil, the river banks are getting shallow leading to flood during rainy season.
According to reports, about 1,000 brick kilns were set up illegally in Kendrapada district this year. The unauthorised brick kilns are mostly set up in agricultural land and also near riverbanks.