Chairman of the co-ordination committee of Iron Ore Crusher Owners’ association Suresh Chandra Pattnaik addresses the news meet. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, July 19: The decision to disallow operations of crusher industries within 40km radius of their mineral source has brought the Orissa government under criticism from the Iron Ore Crusher Owners’ Association (IOCOA) of the state.

“Before taking such a decision, it is necessary to know the people depend on these units. The government must understand that the tribals mostly benefit from this industry,” said office-bearers of the association in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

“While the government is showing such a step-motherly attitude towards the crusher industry that comes under small and medium enter- prises, special treatment is being meted out to the larger industries,” said the office-bearers.

“Tribal-dominated districts like Sundargarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj are dotted with the crushers. Earlier, apart from a few pockets, industrialisa- tion never reached these remote areas except mineral processing.

The decision to stop the units will not only jeopardise the local economy, but also have an impact on the entrepreneurs, who largely depend on bank loans to establish these small- scale industries,” said Suresh Chandra Patnaik, the chairman of the coordination committee of the Iron Ore Crusher Owners and the president of the Keonjhar Industries Federation in Bhubaneswar.

Addressing reporters, Patnaik said: “From Koida in Sundargarh, Joda, Barbil and Keonjhar town in Keonjhar district to parts of Mayurbhanj, there are 247 crushers. This industry is a source of livelihood for many.

It has 19,600 direct employees and 98,000 who are indirectly employed. Another five lakh people depend on the ancillary units of the industry.”

Binod Kumar Bhawsika, the president of Keonjhar District Small Scale Industries Association, said: “The small industry sector involving crusher units in and around the mining belt is a business of about Rs 1,235 crore.

The small industry sector is also instrumental in developing road communication and in providing drinking water and electricity to the villages.

It also provides medical help by its ambulance services to the nearby hospitals.”

Patnaik said: “Though it is being said that this decision will help control mining theft and loss, there are several other issues that the state government has ignored completely.”

He added: “When the big players do not adhere to scientific mining strategies as per the Indian Bureau of Mines guidelines and even not act on the areas with suitable aforestation strategies, punishing only the crusher owners on minor grounds is unfair.”

Another Iron Ore Crusher Owners’ Association member of the state said: “Such a decision will not only affect the local economy but defi- nitely complicate the Mao- ist menace in the tribal pockets as many youths will lose their jobs. It might increase criminal activities in these areas.”