Cream of crushers is proving louder than voices of hundreds of Dalits residing at Pandeypura village of Huntergunj in Chatra district. If it is not the case, then pleas of Ramvilas Bhuiyan, Panchu Bhuiyan, Rajesh Bhuiyan, Dinesh Bhuiyan, Suren Paswan and the likes of them would not have left unheard even at the top level in the Government.
The trahimam or frantic calls given to the administrative setup starting from Chatra DC to the Chief Minister Office in Ranchi against gross violation of environmental conditions laid to run a crusher however did just one thing.
“lease holder Kameshwar Singh then had to manage more people, including Mukhiya, Pramukh, local forest officials to keep the illegal stone mining running. We after losing all the resourses available, finally wrote to the CM Janta Darbar on February 18, 2016 but no response came from there,” Malti Devi, panchayat samiti member of Pandeypura Khurd, said.
The villagers mostly belonging to the Dalit community have been opposing stone mining lease given to Kameshwar Singh, a local strongman, who runs M/s Jaishankar Stone Works. As per the lease granted, the operator had to do stone mining at Dalkoma village area on 1.76 acres raiyati land.
“One can see how brazenly he is doing mining at nearby jungles of Newar, Asnaha etc and ruining the flora and fauna there. Besides, Asnaha channel is the natural source of water for the villages of the area which has been blocked by the debris. A high road for transporting the stones to the crusher has been built and far greater number of payloaders, dumpers, poklands, hyvas are running than permitted,” said Baidyanath Singh, a retired teacher and local activist.
Even the crusher of the firm is located just around 50 meters away from the dense human habitation, Pandeypura Khurd, which is clearly on the wrong side of the preconditions set before ‘Consent to Establish’ and ‘Consent to Operate’ (CTE and CTO) given by the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board. Pandeypura Bazar and nearby areas are constantly engulfed under dense dustbowl causing irreparable damage to human and vegetative health.
“As per the permission given, he cannot deposit more than 225 CFT of stone chips, has to make 10 feet high boundary wall around the dump yard, plant trees and contribute to the Gram Sabha fund at the rate of Re 1 per tonne. Nothing of this sort is being done there. The stone dust is being dumped into greenfields, farmlands and very near to the village,” said Surendra Kumar Yadav of the village.
On many occasions, the villagers jammed the Huntergunj-Chatra road and given representations before the DC and the DFO. A plea written to the Mines Director SP Negi in March this year rekindled their hope a bit when the official ordered the Chatra DC to get the matter probed.
“Here the money power came into effect again. Once a signatory on the application to the CM Janta Darbar, Mukhiya Suresh Paswan who connived with Pramukh Priti Kumari and gave a favourable report to the local administration stating that no violation is being done to the terms and conditions put. They cannot look into the eyes of the villagers for selling themselves but of no use,” said the panchayat samiti member.
When contacted, YKS Chauhan, Additional Chief Conservator of Forest, admitted to the unrest. “I held a meeting with DFO and locals on Sunday. locals were complaining about violation and mining is being done in the forest area whereas the DFO defended the leaseholder. I have told the DFO to verify allegations afresh with maps and all that and shutdown the mining if it is being conducted on the forest land,” said the official, adding that three dumpers have already been impounded for violating the permission limit set.
This has given villagers some respite notwithstanding their resolve to move to the court with a PIl. “Failing to all that we have only recourse left and that is judiciary. Finally, we would move to the High Court in order to save our farmland, forest and future of the generations to come,” said villager Gauri Shankar Paswan.