Smuggling of illegal sand (not leased by government) and use of JCB machines in digging out sand from the river bed Koyal is on the radar of the district adminitration. Sadar SDO Daltonganj Nany Sahay has seized five sand loaded trucks, which were fined for over loading of sand.
Palamu’s sand is taken down to UP by NH 75. A fleet of UP registered trucks can be seen loading sand in Shahpur under Chainpur police station till late evening.
To expedite the digging of sand JCB machines are used. It presents a mini market of sand.
Sadar SDO went to the sand mining site with three cops and her bodyguard. Five sand loaded trucks were seized and challaned for over loading of sand. The SDO said that if there is the lease of mining of sand there is no problem but under no circumstances there should be any over loading of sand in the trucks.
“ Use of JCB machines is restricted in the mining of sand. First is to dig or flush out the sand manually. Shahpur/ Chainpur has enormous human work force. The use of JCB machine in digging out sand is just illegitimate and improper when such a big work force of human beings is around,” she said.
“Our action led to the seizure of five trucks then and were challaned for overloading of sand in them,” she said.
Insiders said sadar SDO apprised the SP Palamu Indrajeet Mahatha of the indifferent attitude of the cops then when she had raided the sand site and the SP is understood to have given a dressing down to the cops in the Chainpur police station.
Sources said a well organized network is operative behind the transit of Jharkhand sand to UP and the network has connections in the corridors of all those who matter in this.