Expressing concerns over illegal mining activities, Orissa High Court directed the Superintendents of Police and Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) to track and take action against mining activities being taken up in contravention to laws.
In a public interest litigation, petitioners Jayanta Kumar Rout and others had submitted that not only indiscriminate blasting was done at the mining site by those mining mafias but the complacency on the part of the administration was also patent that no action or was taken against those mafias.
The counsel of petitioners also vociferously made submissions that the petitioners were noticing, since preceding months, the movement of the vehicles carrying such stones and minerals in the village and the sound of blasting were also frequently heard by them.
“It is alarming to note from the instruction that despite the communication is made by the Mining Officer, Mayurbhanj to the Mining Officer, Balasore on September 23, 2025 that some mafias of the Balasore district are mostly doing the illegal excavation and one of the excavators owned by a person named, Radheshyam crusher (Sarisua, Guapal) was caught but a plea was taken that they are the auction holder of the stone quarry from Balasore area but actually they excavate stone using heavy machines from Mayurbhanj area,” states a judgement delivered by division bench of Orissa HC comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M.S. Raman.
