Illegal asphalt plant operating on grazing land in Kelwaj for two years.
Sarpanch and VDO accused of issuing an illegal NOC to the contractor.
Panchayat cited increasing private income by taking ₹50,000.
Villagers demand suspension of VDO and warn of protests.
Sojat Road | An uproar has erupted over an illegally operating asphalt plant on the grazing land of the nearby Kelwaj Gram Panchayat. Villagers have made serious allegations against this plant, which has been operational for the past two years. They claim that all this is happening by flouting the rules with the collusion of the Sarpanch and the Village Development Officer (VDO).
What is the full matter?
A commercial asphalt plant has been running for about two years on the grazing land of Kelwaj Gram Panchayat, which is reserved for cattle grazing. The villagers allege that this is completely illegal because, according to the rules, no commercial activity can be conducted on grazing land.
The smoke and pollution from this plant have caused significant damage to the surrounding environment. This has also made it difficult to graze cattle on the land, creating a livelihood crisis for the cattle herders.
The villagers have directly accused the Village Development Officer and the Sarpanch of colluding with the road construction contractor. They say that both of them bypassed the rules to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the contractor.
When officials were questioned about this matter, they gave shocking responses. Sarpanch Amar Singh admitted that the NOC was issued by the panchayat.
What did the officials say?
Meanwhile, Village Development Officer Vivek Singh described it as a means to increase the panchayat's income.
Vivek Singh said, "The NOC was issued to the road contractor to set up an asphalt plant on the grazing land to increase the private income of the Gram Panchayat. In return, the contractor paid ₹50,000 to the Gram Panchayat."
However, Kuldeep Gorana, Assistant Engineer of the Public Works Department, clarified that an asphalt plant can only be set up on industrial or commercial land, not on grazing land.
This entire episode has raised serious questions about the functioning of the panchayat administration. The villagers have demanded the immediate suspension of the VDO who permitted the illegal plant on grazing land and action against the Sarpanch as well. They have warned that if no action is taken soon, they will resort to protests.
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