ILLEGAL SAND MINING IS GOING ON WITH CONNIVANCE OF OFFICERS

Ara, 10 July 2023, (RNI): Sand contractors and mafias in Azimabad and Sandesh police stations in Bhojpur district and hand in glove with the police officers and officials of the Mines Department and digging sand from the Sone river arbitrarily and indiscriminately with their alleged connivance gnawing at the State exchequer. They are getting rich by defrauding the revenue of the government.

Vipin Kumar Vishwas, Sandesh block president, JD(U) wrote to the Chief Minister, Bhojpur District Magistrate, SP and Mines Officer and demanded legal action against the recalcitrant sand contractors and mafias after getting it investigated immediately. In his application, he said that by diverting the main stream of the river Sone by damming the Narayanpur-Nansagar Sone river, sand is being mined in a avoidable manner outside the standard area. The sand contractors and mafias have not installed parking or dharkanta on any sand ghat while the paper of sand weight along with sand chalan is issued which is completely wrong. Trucks operating from Patna district to Bhojpur by damming the river Sone creates problem of traffic jam keeps on arising. Besides, a thick layer of sand has formed on SH 81 due to plying of sand laden trucks and tractors on the road. People of area suffer from many diseases due to the dust. The dam built to avoid floods was cut into the river to pave a way through the river due to which a great fear of flood water inundates the area.

Vipin Kumar Vishwas said that the action of the Mines Department against the sand contractors and mafias is just eyewash. The Mines Officer Anand Prakash said on mobile that some action has been taken and strict action will be taken against the illegal mining of sand in future as well.