Forest department has identified 72 villages of the district as eco-sensitive zone. All these villages are in the circumference of Hazaribagh wildlife sanctuary. Out of these 72 villages 34 each are in Ichak and Katkamsandi blocks and 4 in Padma block of the district.
After a thorough investigation and study the forest department has issued the list of villages where sound and air pollution is increasing day by day affecting the health of general residents and the flora and fauna of the area.
After identifying the villages as eco-sensitive zone the forest officials have started efforts to check the increasing pollution rate. It has issued a notice to the owners of all the stone crushing mills and stone mines to stop their activities. A copy of this notice has also been sent to district pollution control board and to the mining department of the district in which it has been clearly stated that due to increasing pollution rate the department is not going to allow any stone mine or stone crushing units in these villages.
In Hazaribagh district more than 600 stone crushing units are running nowadays. Only 32 have got proper license and permission from mining and other departments. 5 have applied for it, rest are running illegally. Mining of stone is going on at more than 150 sites though the district administration has issued mining lease to only 45 persons out of which 23 have applied for its renewal.
It is clear that the mining and stone crusher units are running illegally in the district in large numbers causing sound and air pollution in the area. Due to illegal mining Hazaribagh district is also losing its natural beauty, reserves of precious stones and some important flora and fauna everyday.
The initiative of forest department has raised a hope among the conscious denizens of the district that things will change soon.
A forest official said that our aim is to stop mining and stone crushing activity in at least 10 km circumference of the Hazaribagh wildlife sanctuary and for it we need help of other departments.
Our department is facing staff crunch so we are not in a position to stop these activities ourself.
Sound and air pollution is causing on the reproduction rate of the fauna of this area which is a matter of great concern for every conscious denizen and the department hopes that people will also come forward to save the environment and the nature of this district, he added.