BALASORE: The district administration on Saturday filed a complaint against a revenue inspector (RI) in Jaleswar police station for his alleged involvement in illegal sand mining. District mining officer Santoshi Sethy lodged the complaint against Bahanaga RI Sagar Baskey after investigation confirmed that the revenue inspector and his family members had illegally stockpiled sand worth crores of rupees on their private land and transported it for several years.
Officials said Sagar allegedly started the illegal practice when he was posted as the RI in Khuard under Jaleswar tehsil around two years ago. His family reportedly owns vast tracts of land along the banks of Subarnarekha riverbank. Sand was being illegally lifted from the riverbed during night using earthmovers and tractors, stockpiled on private land of the accused and his family members, and transported to different areas of Jaleswar and West Bengal.
To obstruct the movement of official vehicles to the sand stock site, the RI reportedly cut the access road on multiple occasions. The matter came to light after a road accident on January 8 when a hyva truck involved in illegal sand transportation hit a schoolteacher travelling on a scooter, triggering public outrage.
Angry locals exposed the illegal operation following which local officials found a huge amount of sand stockpiled on private land. Mining officials along with Jaleswar tehsildar Satyajit Mohanty placed red flags at the sand stock site on Saturday.
On the same day, eight tractors tried to lift the sand from the flagged site. However, the vehicles were intercepted and seized. Police said a case has been registered against the accused RI, his brother Chandan Baskey and other family members on basis of the complaint filed by the district mining officer. Further investigation is underway. Jaleswar junior mining officer Tapas Behera said multiple cases are already pending against Sagar and his brother Chandan.