The district administration on Friday imposed Section 144 of CrPC at Aruha hillock under Dharmasala block to prevent illegal black stone quarry works, said Jajpur ADM Akshya Kumar Mallick.
The district administration has also recently formed a Special Task Force to stop illegal quarry works and seal all the illegal crusher units. The authorities recently sealed 55 stone crusher units and 30 stone quarries under Dharamshala Tehsil, informed the ADM.
The district administration has identified 243 illegal crusher units in the district and decided to shut down all the illegal units. The action has been initiated following a direction of the Orissa High Court to shut down all the illegal crusher units after hearing a Public Interest Litigation.
“We formed a task force comprising all the Tehsildars , BDOs, labour officials, officials of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board and police to close all the illegal units,” added the ADM.
When contacted, general secretary of the District Stone Crusher Unit Owners' Association said, “Around 30,000 workers have been eking out their livelihoods by working in many crusher units in the district.
We welcome the decision of the district administration to shift all the crusher units to safer places far away from the highways and villages. 160 persons applied before the authorities to get land to open crusher units. But the officials are yet to allot land to them."