JAGATSINGHPUR: The district administration seized 10 sand-laden Hyva trucks and two Poclain machines from an illegal quarry at Bankala under Kishannagar tehsil near Raghunathpur here on Wednesday night. Nine persons have been detained for their alleged involvement in illegal sand mining.
Acting on a tip-off, Jagatsinghpur collector J Sonal, SP Ankit Verma and sub-collector Prashant Kumar Tarai raided the illegal sand quarry near Mahanadi river. Raghunathpur tehsildar Rajalakshmi Nayak, IIC Sushant Kumar Sethi, and police personnel were present during the raid.
Locals alleged that while hundreds of truckloads of sand are being transported from the quarry on a daily basis, police and tehsil officials are not taking any action. “Their inaction has turned the area into a safe haven for sand mafia. The illegal operations are continuing with the knowledge of the Kishannagar tehsildar,” they claimed.
Similarly, at Khental sand ghat near Mahanadi under the same tehsil, sand is reportedly being transported far beyond permitted limits, raising questions over administrative inaction. Locals demanded immediate raids at the ghat as well.
Raghunathpur IIC Sethi said a detailed investigation is underway. So far, no case has been registered in connection with the latest seizure, though nine drivers have been detained.
The recent action follows a series of crackdowns on illegal sand mining in the region. Recently, the administration seized around 200 truckloads of sand dumped at three places under Biridi tehsil.