In a significant crackdown on the illicit sand trade, police in Paliganj district conducted a surprise midnight operation, leading to the seizure of multiple vehicles involved in unauthorized extraction and transportation.
Pre-Dawn Raid Nets Mining Vehicles
Acting on specific intelligence about illegal mining activities at a ghat in Janpura, a coordinated team swung into action in the early hours of Tuesday. The raiding party, which included mining inspectors, the district mining task force, the Station House Officer (SHO), and a police patrolling unit, reached the site around 1:30 am.
The officials discovered six tractors, all loaded with illegally mined yellow sand, and a heavy-duty loader actively being used for extraction at the riverbank. Upon spotting the authorities, the drivers and equipment operators abandoned the vehicles and fled the scene under cover of darkness.
Vehicles Impounded, Hefty Penalties Calculated
All the vehicles were immediately taken into custody by the police. A formal seizure list was prepared on the spot as part of the legal procedure. The loader, in particular, was identified as a key machine enabling large-scale illegal mining, responsible for creating an estimated stockpile of around 7,000 cubic feet of sand.
Mining department authorities assessed the total financial penalties for the violations. The cumulative penalty was calculated to be approximately Rs 23.81 lakh. This includes fines of over Rs 1 lakh for each tractor and a substantial penalty of around Rs 10 lakh for the loader, along with additional compounding charges.
Legal Action Under New and Amended Laws
The Paliganj police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the incident. The case has been lodged under pertinent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and the Bihar Minerals (Concession, Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rules-2019, which were amended recently in 2024 to impose stricter penalties.
This raid is part of a broader, ongoing campaign by state authorities to curb the rampant illegal mining, transportation, and storage of sand and other minerals in Bihar. The use of joint teams comprising police and mining officials indicates a coordinated approach to tackle the issue, which has significant environmental and revenue implications for the state.
