Illegal Soil Mining Tears Through Dhubri and Kokrajhar Forests

A large-scale illegal mining syndicate is systematically destroying forests in the Parbatjhora, Rupsi, and Khoraghat areas of Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts, raising serious questions about the forest department’s oversight and accountability.

According to sources, the syndicate is illegally excavating hills to extract red soil, operating around the clock with hundreds of dumpers transporting the soil to multiple locations in Dhubri district. Even protected forest tracts are not spared, with excavators deployed in place of designated mining lands, highlighting the brazen scale of the operation.

The syndicate, reportedly led by an individual named Jainak Mun, along with a local political leader and a government official holding an educational post, earns approximately Rs. 2,000 per dumper daily. Local reports allege that the group has been able to carry out this massive operation by manipulating forest and transport departments, ensuring uninterrupted supply of the red soil.

Forest officials from Parbatjhora and Dhubri, including the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), have been accused of turning a blind eye to the ongoing devastation, despite the scale of destruction visible across the Rupsi and Khoraghat forest divisions. Observers say the negligence has sparked outrage among local communities and environmental activists.

Local organizations claim that the syndicate operates openly, filling dumpers with illegally extracted soil, while coordinating with officials to evade scrutiny. The relentless extraction of hills and forests has left vast swathes of land degraded and poses a severe threat to ecological balance in the region.

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