Resumption of mineral transportation in Rebana Reserve Forest in Orissa’s Keonjhar district has once again posed a serious threat to the elephant population in the region.
Thanks to the state government, which, instead of protecting the threatened species, has allegedly succumbed to the pressure from the “mining lobby” to permit restarting the mineral transportation.
The state-owned Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC), which is yet to obtain clearance for diversion of 249.96 hectares or 625 acres of forest land for mining infrastructure and township in Keonjhar district, has illegally used land several years. It has used the land to lay the conveyor belt and build the township, pipeline and a road to be used by trucks, a source familiar with the matter said.
The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) had considered the application for stage-1 forest clearance in April 2013 and sought detailed report and recommended legal action against the OMC as well as forest officials who had allowed the illegal diversion of reserve forest land, if such action had not already been taken.
However, the state government in response to a letter issued by the MoEF on April 25, 2013 defended its lack of action against the OMC and forest officials on several grounds and strongly urged for stage-1 forest clearance.