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Jharkhand Assembly panel seeks detailed report on Damodar river encroachment
The direction was issued on Wednesday during the final day of the committee’s three-day visit to the district.
The Jharkhand Assembly’s special committee on Questions and Attention Motions has sought a detailed report on encroachment along the Damodar river after finding evidence of large-scale overburden (OB) dumping and the river’s narrowing during its inspection in Dhanbad, people aware of the development said on Wednesday.
The direction was issued on Wednesday during the final day of the committee’s three-day visit to the district. A review meeting was held at the Circuit House under the chairmanship of Tundi MLA Mathura Prasad Mahato. Committee members, district officials and representatives of several public sector companies attended the meeting.
The issue of the Damodar River remained the focus of the discussions. Mahato said the committee had visited BCCL Area-11 on Tuesday and inspected OB dumping sites along the riverbank. During the inspection, members found that large quantities of mining waste had allegedly been dumped by encroaching upon land near the river, reducing its width at several places.
The committee observed that parts of a guard wall had been damaged and large boulders had slipped into the river. Members expressed concern that such activities could have a long-term impact on the river and the surrounding environment.
Taking serious note of the findings, the committee directed officials to submit a comprehensive report on encroachments along the Damodar River. The report will include details of government, forest and raiyat land affected, plot numbers, area under encroachment and the present width of the river at different locations.
“The committee is examining issues related to land use, environmental protection and public interest. Detailed reports have been sought so that facts can be properly verified,” Mahato said.
The committee’s concern follows key decisions taken during a review meeting on Tuesday. It had then ordered drone-based measurement of overburden dumped on government, forest and private land in BCCL’s mining areas. The district administration was asked to conduct scientific surveys, likely with support from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, to accurately assess the extent of dumping. BCCL had also agreed to compensate for encroachment or use of land after the measurement process is completed.
During Wednesday’s meeting, the committee also directed Hindustan Urvarak and Rasayan Limited (HURL) to undergo scrutiny of land registration records to determine whether the state government suffered any loss of stamp duty revenue. If any shortfall is detected, the company may be asked to deposit the additional amount.
The panel further instructed Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), Tata Collieries and Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) to provide detailed reports on acquisition and use of government, forest and raiyat land. Revenue officials were directed to expedite disposal of pending succession mutation and family lineage applications so that compensation payments to affected landowners are not delayed.
After the review, Mahato said the committee had sought extensive information from various companies regarding land acquisition and land use. He noted that several undertakings appeared to have used government land without proper permission, resulting in possible revenue losses to the state. Such cases would be examined and dues recovered wherever applicable.
“Our objective is to ensure transparency and that all concerned agencies follow the rules while safeguarding public resources and the environment,” Mahato said.
