Crackdown on illegal sand mining in Dhanbad

Dhanbad district administration in an association of district police conducted a raid at an illegal sand mining den at Gol building chowk of Dhanbad and seized altogether six sand laden vehicles. The district administration conducted the raid with an attempt to control the increasing prices of sand in the district and also to prevent illegal sand mining and trade.

The raid conducted during the morning hours at around 7 am also led to the recovery of a huge amount of smuggled sand from an illegal sand depot.

The team led by Surendra Prasad, Sub Divisional officer of Dhanbad and comprising of district mining officer PK Singh conducted the raid during which the operators of the illegal sand depot fled away but the vehicle and sand consignment was seized.

Prasad then instructed the district mining officer to lodge cases against the illegal sand depot operators and also the vehicle owners whose vehicle were engaged in the illegal sand transport.

Talking to the media after the raid, Prasad said, “We conducted the raid on Friday on the basis of complaints of the high price of sand caused to illegal mining and sand smuggling.”

“Though there is no restriction of legal sand trade but we will not allow the illegal sand mining and sand trade, without valid documents,” further said Prasad.

Notably, this is second raid in the district within a month as a team of Dhanbad police led by City SP, R Ramkumar raided at the same spot on November 4 this year during which six sand-laden vehicles were seized and a sand smuggler, Lav Bharti and the driver of truck engaged in the transport of an illegal sand consignment, Shaktipad Mandal was arrested by the police.