Bokaro cracks down on illegal coal mining

Bokaro: District mining department has intensified crackdown on illegal coal mining even as illegal sand mining continues unabated. Following DC Jadhav Vijaya Narayan Rao's directives, a team, led by the district mining officer conducted raid in Mauja Dania's forested area under Gomia block's Jageshwar Vihar police station on Sunday.
The operation uncovered and sealed multiple ‘rat holes' (narrow tunnels, typically three to four feet high, allowing workers to enter and extract coal illegally). The team, assisted by local police and along with earth movers, sealed the underground tunnel entrances. An FIR was registered at Jageshwar Vihar police station in this regard.
Meanwhile, the district faces criticism for its lackadaisical approach toward illegal sand mining. Despite the administration's repeated assurances, action against sand mining remains superficial, with only some vehicle seizures while large-scale operations continue.
Damodar river, particularly in Harla and Chas Mufassil police station areas, witnesses rampant sand extraction, with hundreds of tractor loads of sand transported daily. Large illegal sand stockpiles in Chas mufassil go unchecked.