Apart from 72 dumpers and 4 JCBs, 500 brass sand worth Rs 6o lakh seized
Bhayandar : In a major crackdown on sand mafia in Thane district, officials from the revenue department teamed up with the police to swoop down on illegal sand dredging activities that were being carried out at Ghodbunder creek on Tuesday afternoon. The entire operation was carried out under the supervision of district collector Ashwini Joshi.
Apart from confiscating nearly 500 brass sand which equals to the sum of more than Rs 60 lakh, officials seized 72 dumpers, four crane-lifters, four JCBs and other equipment used for sand mining. While four people have been arrested in this context, the district authorities have sealed the region to prevent further exploitation.
Revenue officials Kaustabh Divegaonkar, Dinesh Paithankar, Pandhrinath Bhoir, Vasant Choudhary accompanied by police officials SDPO Suhas Bawache and senior PI Anil Kadam were a part of the raiding team.
Despite a judicial ban on sand mining activities, it is the business as usual for the powerful sand mafia in Thane district as plundering natural resources by extracting huge quantities of sand continues unabated in the sand rich spots.
Suresh Golani
