5 held for sand mining, police team to check illegal practice  

JAGATSINGHPUR: Police arrested five persons involved in illegal sand mining in Badaro quarry on Devi river bed of Korua village on Sunday evening.The arrested persons are Dipu Das of Debidola, Dillip Barik of Bhatpada, Rabinarayan Sahoo, Pratap Sahoo of  Korua and Krushna Das of Chanrapur. The five were nabbed during a raid carried out by Jagatsinghpur police. However, six others involved in the illegal practice managed to escape from the spot.

As many as four tractors, used by the accused for sand smuggling, were seized by police. Sources said one Ramesh Chandra Jena of Bhatpada village is the owner of the quarry and he had engaged the accused persons despite restrictions on sand mining by the district administration due to the pandemic. Ramesh was reportedly carrying out mining in violation of the guidelines with help of local sand mafia Ullash Kabu.

There are 18 sand ghats (quarry) in the district of which three are on Mahanadi river bed in Raghunathpur. Besides, seven ghats are located on the bed of Mahanadi and Chitrotopla rivers in Tirtol, two on Devi river bed in Jagatsinghpur , three in Biridi and as many in Nuagaon. Sources said the mafia are lifting sand from different ghats of the district despite the ban.

Jagatsinghpur SP said a special police team has been formed to check illegal sand mining. Raids would be carried out in the coming days. The river beds will be regularly monitored and strict action taken against persons involved in sand mining, he added.