Local residents in Giridih district have accused mining officials of issuing royalty challans worth nearly Rs. 47 crore for stone chips from a mine that has not been operational for the past three years. The Baba Stone mine in Mandaramo under Sariya block was approved in 2017, but mining activities reportedly stopped in 2021. Despite this, royalty challans for gravel and stone chips were allegedly issued between 2022 and 2024.
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Royalty Issued Without Crusher
Residents claimed that the mine does not even have a stone crusher machine, raising questions on how gravel was produced when only a boulder extraction licence was granted by State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) Ranchi and the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB). They alleged that challans were issued in bulk and later routed to a Koderma based firm, Amitabh Construction, through a middleman identified as Arun Kumar Ladia. They further alleged that hundreds of challans were printed within an hour using vehicle numbers without the permission of truck owners.
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Probe Ordered After Allegations
Officials named in the complaint include Giridih Mining Officer Satish Nayak and Satyajit Roy, who are accused of facilitating fake challans despite no mining activity at the site. Locals termed it “paper mining,” claiming that the entire transaction existed only in documents, not on ground. Following the public uproar, the Directorate of Mines has said it will verify the allegations and take action if violations are confirmed.
I was not aware of this earlier. Now that the issue has come to notice, an inquiry will be conducted. If evidence is found against the accused, action will follow.”
— Rahul Kumar Sinha, Director of Mines, Jharkhand
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