After various allegations about sand lifting beyond permissible limits in Jharsuguda district, a team of officials raided lahangabud sand ghat in the Ib river on Friday and seized one JCB machine.
According to local sources, Ghat No.1 has been taken on lease by Suryaprakash of lahangabud. While sand ghat No.2 and 3 have been allocated to Dayanidhi Pradhan, they are effectively managed by Suryaprakash.
The three sand ghats are spread over a total 64 acres of land and have been leased out for five years. The contractors have been permitted to lift 8,704 cubic metres sand from ghat No. 1, 4,200 cubic metres from ghat No.2 and 4,000 cubic meters from ghat No.3 at a rate of Rs 259 per cubic meter from ghat No.1 and Rs 159 per cubic meter for ghat No.2 and 3.
However, allegations were made that more than ten times of the allowed capacity was being lifted from the ghats by the contractor.
Sources claimed that the approved quantity of sand was never filled in any of the trucks that left sand from the river belts. The leaseholder can fill each truck with only 16 tonnes of sand. However, in practice, a truck is filled up with 25 tonnes or sometimes even 30 tonnes.
Acting on the allegation, a team of officers headed by Sub Collector Ajay Jena, Tehsildar Bhavesh Nayak, Additionl Tehsildar Golak Behari Mangaraj and Sambalpur based Irrigation Division Assistant Engineer Prasanna Kumar Sahoo visited the spot on Friday evening and found the allegations to be true.
Tehsildar Nayak informed that based on the measurements found during the raid, leaseholders Suryaprakash and Dayanidhi had lifted an excess 1.26 lakh cubic meters from the river bed worth Rs 2.57 crore. They have been asked to deposit the sum of money by March 31 through a show cause notice, he added.