Raids go on but sand mafia still strong in Daund and Shirur,say officials

“Since January this year we have registered about 17 cases against illegal mining. We have also kept registers with the talathis of the area of various divisions to a keep a record of the sand that is excavated from the river bed. But we still have cases of illegal mining every now and then.” said Atul Mhetre,the tehsildar of Shirur,who recently busted a major illegal mining racket by raiding the excavation spot disguised as a labourer. A penalty amount of around Rs 1 crore has been collected from the gangs in Shirur and Daund and seized sand has been auctioned for about Rs 6 crores.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,”said another officer,adding,“After we register cases,the suspects get bail and return to start illegal activities again. We do not have enough number of talathis and office staff to pursue these cases. Also the Minor Mineral (Extraction) Act 1955,under which we take action,needs to be amended so that a stricter punishment is introduced. It’s an open secret that these gangs have strong politicians links,which they use to put pressure on us.”

Hanumant Patil,tehsildar of Daund said,“The revenue department carries out joint operations with police and RTO. We do get help from police as and when required. But it has been observed that police don’t register complaints unless we show them the seized sand,which is not possible in all the cases.”

However,Shankar Kengar,deputy superintendent of police,Daund division said,“We register cases when revenue department officials approach us for it. We also provide personnels for the raids as there is a risk involved.”

Patil added that the mafia also takes advantage of the boundary with the other district. “They flee into other district to escape from action. There is a need for joint operation,with teams from adjacent district,to tackle the problem.” he said.