ADMINISTRATION THREATENS TO SEAL UNITS IF OWNERS FAIL TO PRODUCE POLLUTION DOCUMENTS, TRIBAL BODY STICKS TO STAND RAMPURHAT, 19 OCT: The Birbhum district administration today asked owners of stone-crushing units of Rampurhat to produce their documents on pollution and land acquisition within a month. And if the owners fail to do so the stone-crushing units will be treated as illegal and the administration will seal them. Following the closure of around 220 stone-crushing units by Birbhum Adivasi Goanta (BAG) on Monday, the district administration called a tripartite meeting on the issue today. At the meeting, the administration asked the stone-crushing unit owners to produce their documents within a month. Tension mounted in the area after the BAG started an agitation during Durga Puja alleging that the stone-crushing units were polluting the environment. Claiming that the stone-crushing units were involved in illegal business practices, they demanded immediate closure of the units. After the crushing-units were closed for two days, the district administration called a meeting with BAG leaders and the crushing-unit owners. Rampurhat SDO Mr Vaivav Shrivastava, SDPO Mr Avvaru Rabindranath and other district officials were present at the meeting. Nearly 100 representatives of BAG and crushing-unit owners attended the meeting where it was decided that all crushing-units will open from Friday. But the owners will have to place their documents within a month. “Following a discussion with both groups, we have decided to regularise the crushing-units from Friday. The owners who will fail to submit proper documents within a month, we will seal their units,” said the Rampurhat SDO. The BAG leaders, however, have threatened to continue their movement if the administration failed to close illegal crushing-units. “The administration has sought some time to find the illegal crushing-units. If the administration does not take any action against them, we will close down the units,” said Mr Rabin Soren, secretary of BAG. The owners said that they would submit a report to the administration soon. But they will not bother much about the whimsical decision of BAG leaders. “The BAG does not have any authority to close down the units. If they continue to do so in future we will launch massive agitation," said Mr Amanatullah, the secretary of crushing-unit owners’ association.