PONDA
Dharbandora Mamlatdar Laxmikant Kuttikar along with staff of the Directorate of Mines and Geology seized two power tillers, three trucks and one excavator, after raiding two sites where laterite stone quarries were illegally operating in Dharbandora.
Speaking to The Goan, Kuttikar said the team raided private land in Marad and Moisal after getting information of illegal activities.
“We raided one site at Marad and seized two power tillers and two trucks. At Maisal, we seized one truck and one excavator,” Kuttikar said.
Assistant Geologist Sudhir Mandrekar, Mahesh Mayenkar, Technical Assistant Shyam Sawant and other staff were present during the raid.
Kuttikar informed that these raids were conducted on private land and further process of registering the cases are in progress.
Sources informed that these quarries were operating without taking permissions, thereby depriving the State government of taxes and other receipts.
It may be recalled that in August last year, Kuttikar along with forest and police had inspected the laterite stone quarries operating illegally in unclassified forest area at Petaki-Dharbandora.
The excavators, truckers and labours had fled from the spot minutes before the
officials could reach the site. The area of around 7 lakh square metres in this forest area has a rocky surface at many places.
A villager from Petaki-Dharbandora told The Goan that over six stone quarries at one portion of land are in operation.
