Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged the Indian government to intervene and stop destructive mining activities at Khandolite mining site near Lalitgiri Buddhist Complex in Odisha’s Jajpur district. In a letter to Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, Pradhan requested him to take immediate action to protect the archaeological assets and natural ecology of the area. He also called for the cessation of large scale mining and earthmoving activities at Sisupalgarh in Khurda district, another site of immense historical significance. Pradhan urged the Odisha government to act against vandals and halt illegal excavations and mining on the ramparts of protected areas of Sisupalgarh.