CB BureauA Right to Information (RTI) query has thrown light on how illegal mining has become rampant in Billi Markundi reserve forest in Robertsganj township of Sonbhadra District. An area of 2622.10 hectares in this reserve was notified on November 5, 1969, under Section-4 of the Indian Forest Act. In August 2002, district administration applied to the forest department to allow mining in 107.40 hectares of land. The central government rejected the proposal as the land offered in lieu of the land asked for was in 16 small patches not fit for plantation.
The rejection notwithstanding, the local administration leased out the land to various persons and parties whose names have been provided by the public information officer in the district. So it is that 38 individuals or parties have been carrying out mining activities without legal permission. In fact, two contracts were awarded even before the state government applied with the ministry of forests for permission. As per the information, most of these contracts will expire after 2016.
The information document revealed that several of the mining contracts were awarded to those who had a politico-administrative connection. For example, RK Jaiswal, who got a contract in April 2003 for 0.62 acres land, is a close relative of BSP MLC from Deoria, RP Jaiswal.
The information has been held up by the regional office of the ministry of environment and forests. ‘These mining leases have been sanctioned in the Billi Markundi forest, adjacent (less than a kilometre away) to Kanachh Reserve Forest, which is a part of the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary. As per ministry’s guidelines and Supreme Court orders, no mining lease can be sanctioned within 10 kilometres of the periphery of a wildlife sanctuary and national park,’ wrote additional principal chief conservator of forests Azam Zaidi to principal secretary forests RK Singh on August 22, 2012.
The RTI activists who sought the information claimed that mining activity was spread in more areas besides the aforementioned 38 spots. Addressing reporters in Lucknow, activist Roma said, ‘All you need to quarry a piece of land in Sonbhadra is some connection with the local mining office. Illegal mining activity on khata no. 4452 in Billi Markundi led to untimely death of at least 12 labourers on February 27, 2012. When our fact-finding committee went to the spot, we found that apparent owners didn’t even bear the document. However the patch next to it, khata number 4471, was a notified forest area and was being plundered.’
A joint inquiry report conducted by sub-divisional magistrates of Duddhi and Sonbhadra along with the mining officer mentioned that plot number 4471 comprising 8.701 hectares of land is mentioned as reserved forest land in revenue records. The said report revealed that only two hectares of the forest land is left untouched while the remaining is being mined illegally.
In February this year, Billi Markundi was in the news on account of a landslide incident in an illegal mine wherein many labourers were buried under rocks. At least 10 labourers had died.
According to the locals, that was not the first incident wherein labourers working in the mines have lost their lives. They allege that such cases are rarely reported due to the nexus between the administration and the mine owners.