Dumka, Nov. 25 -- The District Mining Task Force on Tuesday launched an intensive crackdown and demolished around half a dozen rat-hole mines in the Badalpada forest area under Shikaripara police station.
During the joint operation by the district administration, mining department, and forest officials, authorities sealed an active rat-hole coal mine and identified at least three previously demolished pits that had been illegally reactivated. The team also detected fresh attempts to open new mining sites.
Officials said the action was part of a sustained campaign to curb illegal mining activities that continue to cause environmental degradation and revenue loss to the state. Heavy machinery was used to fill and destroy the pits to prevent...