Ranchi: The district administration on Saturday conducted raids and destroyed as many as 12 illegal stone crusher units at Thakurgaon in Burmu block, about 45km from the district headquarters, and lodged FIRs against their owners .

The crusher units were operating in forest area.

The three-hour raid was conducted under the supervision of Ranchi SDO Anjali Yadav who was assisted by Bundu BDO Sanjeev Kumar, circle officer Sunil Chandra and local police.

"For quite sometime, local residents were complaining against these illegal units that were causing pollution and posing several other problems. Saturday's surprise raid was a result of that," Yadav said.

In the evening FIRs were lodged against owners Md Hafiz Ansari, Rabina Khatoon, Lakshmi Narayan Prasad, Sunil Kumar Nath Shahdeo, Vinay Nath Shahdeo, Sudarshan Prasad Jaisawal, Bhola Prasad, Pawan Jaisawal, Raju Khalkho and Sunil Ojha.

Burmu BDO Sanjeev Kumar said illegal units were mainly operating at Patra Toli and Nauj villages under Thakurgaon panchayat.

Ranchi DC Rai Mahimapat Ray said the drive was a routine exercise."District mining department officials have been strictly warned and instructed to keep proper tabs on these units by developing a local intelligence network," Ray said.

On April 8, the mining department had conducted raids at Jhiri, Tapey, Khirabera and Chaibagan in Ormanjhi, about 30km from the district headquarters. As many as 24 illegal stone crusher units were busted and destroyed.

Arvind Kumar Singh, who owned several of the illegal units, was arrested.

A field inspection team formed by National Green Tribunal, which visited Koderma and Hazaribagh a couple of months back, had submitted an adverse report on how illegal stone mining and quarrying units were destroying the local ecology. Thereafter, a series of raids had been launched by both Koderma and Hazaribagh administrations to curb the menace.