BHUBANESWAR/KENDRAPARA: THE Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch has stated that river beds were leased out illegally to notorious gangster Sheik Usman Ali alias Tito and his associates in Kendrapara and Jajpur districts for carrying out sand mining.
"Tito and his associates gained immense financial benefits through sand mining in the two districts. It was found out that the rules were violated and some officials illegally leased out river beds to the gangster and his associates for carrying out sand mining," STF SP Prashant Kumar Bhoi said.
The agency has issued letters to the tehsildars of Kendrapara, Mahakalapada, Pattamundai ,Garadpur and Marsaghai in Kendrapara district and also the tehsildars of Dharmasala and Balichandrapur in Jajpur district asking them to provide all information and documents related to the tendering process of the sand mining.
The locals alleged that the authorities had turned a blind eye towards the illegal sand mining even after their repeated pleas to arrest the sand mafias, who were indulging in illegal sand mining on river beds without obtaining any environmental clearances, and continuing it despite the expiry of the lease periods.
"We have urged the authorities several times to check illegal sand mining, but to no avail.
The Government officials, contractors and anti-socials are hand-in-glove and are carrying out illegal sand mining on the river beds. The illegal sand mining has led to the erosion of embankments and river beds," farmers' leader and president of the district unit of Krushak Sabha, Gayadhar Dhal, said. Sand mining is officially permitted to be carried out at about 10 places in Kendrapara, but the anti-socials are carrying out the mining at about 25 places, he added.
The investigation of all the cases registered against the notorious gangster is being supervised by Crime Branch IG Arun Bothra. The agency has registered a case against Tito for acquiring several property illegally, including a land in Kolkata, his involvement in tender fixing, demanding extortion, robbery and others.
Similarly, the agency has registered another case against Tito and his associates for threatening a contractor at gun-point while demanding `70 lakh extortion towards ` 7 crore project he had undertaken at Aul, Pattamundai Irrigation Division. The STF has registered a third case against the gangster and his associates for forcibly occupying a land measuring 36-guntha in Kendrapara.
After the completion of Tito's four-day remand, he was produced at a court in Kendrapara on July 13. The STF officers prayed for taking the gangster on fresh five-day remand, but the court allowed the agency to take him on three-day remand.
