Police seize two sand-laden vehicles in Seraikela-Kharsawan

Jamshedpur: Acting on a tip-off, a patrolling party from Chowka police station  seized two sand-laden Hywas on NH-33, located about 40 km away from here, in the early hours of Tuesday. The heavy vehicles, suspected to be involved in illegal sand mining and transportation, were intercepted by the police while coming from Bundu in Ranchi district towards Jamshedpur at approximately 2:00 am near Dirlong village. However, both drivers managed to flee the scene, taking advantage of the darkness.

What raised further suspicion was that both Hywas had identical registration numbers – JH01-DH-5821. Chowka police station  Officer-in-Charge, Abhishek Pratap, stated that the drivers of these vehicles were allegedly involved in illegal mining and transportation of sand, disregarding the directives issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

“We have seized both the heavy vehicles and are working to identify their owners. Despite suspected tampering of the registration numbers, initial investigations indicate that both vehicles are owned by the same individual, a resident of Bundu,” shared the OC.

The lifting of sand from rivers is prohibited between June 15 and October 25 as per NGT guidelines. However, despite the restrictions, the transport mafia persists in violating the NGT directives by illegally extracting sand from river ghats.

Clandestine sand-lifting and transportation have become rampant in East Singhbhum and adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan districts, leading to growing concerns over environmental impacts and the need for stricter enforcement of regulations. Local authorities are determined to crack down on these illegal activities and curb the rampant sand mafia to safeguard the region’s natural resources and uphold environmental conservation efforts.