District administration gears up for crackdown

Vadodara: The commissioner of geology and mining of state government has leased out several areas of Orsang River to sand miners, but illegal mining is so rampant that the department, the district collector and police seize sand excavating machines and vehicles almost every month.
Despite these raids and seizures, sand mafias continue their thriving business in the district in a headstrong manner.

While the sand mafias have so far been operating fearlessly, the district administration has decided to draw up a plan to take punitive action against them. Until now whenever sand excavating machines and vehicles were seized, these used to be returned to the owners after a fortnight on payment of a fine.

The district administration has insisted that all leaseholders in the district have proper markings and install yellow pillars so that mining activities in the prohibited areas can be traced.

“If there are proper markings, the lease areas can be easily identified and anyone indulging in mining in non-lease areas can be nabbed,” said Chhota Udepur district collector Sujal Mayatra.

“We are also creating database of habitual offenders so that we can register police case against them. Even if a vehicle is seized repeatedly, we will ask the regional transport office to cancel its registration,” he added.