SJTA issues show cause notice to 19 leaseholders over ‘excess mining’

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Wednesday issued show cause notice to 19 leaseholders of Srimandir’s stone quarries located in Khordha on charges of excess mining.

Of these 19 stone quarries, 17 are construction stone while two are laterite stone quarries.

According to sources, Arabinda Padhee, the chief administrator of the SJTA has issued the notice to the leaseholders under Odisha Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2016.

As per the notice, the violators have been asked to pay royalty, incidental charges and penalty within seven days for mining beyond the lease limit.

Besides, the leaseholders have also been directed to furnish a written reply on what circumstances they violated the norms and extracted more stones breaching the set limit.

Further course of action will be decided after receiving reply from the leaseholders. If the leaseholders fail to comply with the notice, their mining contract will be cancelled and the assets of Lord Jagannath will be protected, the notice stated.

Commenting on the development, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said, “The previous BJD government never worked to safeguard the property of Srimandir during its 24 years of rule. Now after coming to power, we have decided to initiate action to safeguard the property of the Holy Trinity.”