YUPIA, 12 Jan: In the light of escalating concerns over uncontrolled earth-cutting in various locations of Yupia town and adjacent areas, Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner Jiken Bomjen has constituted a board to mitigate the impact of earth-cutting on the environment and natural resources.
The board comprises the ADCs, the district disaster management officer, the divisional forest officer, the DLRSO, the BSNL SDTO, and the EEs of the PWD, the PHED and the power department.
Any individual or organisation will have to obtain permission from the DC before engaging in any earth-cutting activity under the DC’s jurisdiction.
This board will verify the documents and inspect the sites of the applicant(s) applying for earth-cutting permission, and ensure that no earth-cutting is done around government structures, electrical installations like transformers/sub-stations and LT lines.
After permission is granted, the board will ensure that the landowner(s) clear(s) the debris without affecting streams, rivers, highways, buildings, and the plots of the landowners on the upper and the lower terraces of the plot in question.
The DC on Wednesday issued an order which read: “On the approval of the earth-cutting permissions, the applicant shall deposit a security for one year, which shall be refunded after the expiry of the valid date of the permission. However, in the event of any damage caused by the earth-cutting and dumping activities to any private or government property, it shall be compensated as per the existing and prevailing market rate of the damaged properties and shall be liable to be punished under the DDMA Act Section 51 A and B, or both.”
The DC has directed the SP and the town magistrate here to enforce the order with immediate effect. (DIPRO)
