Contractors in Giridih district, across the district border, are mining and transporting the sand illegally in broad daylight from different ghats like Arga, Pesra, Shastrinagar, Shivsakti and Dindyal in Usari river, within limits of Town, Punchambha and Muffasil police station limits, said Proprietor of Nagrik Munch Binoy Singh.
"They have increased the illegal sand mining since a majority of the officials have tightened their lips. They are literally robbing the river using earth-movers and taking away the sand with no one to stop them," added Singh. He further said that one can see these nefarious activities taking place after entering the Usari river near different places of town. "The illegal sand miners are operating from the banks in Arga, Pesragadha, Shastrinagar, Shivsakti and Dindayal ghats.
Moreover, they have constructed a temporary road on the river bed itself to enable them to transport the sand easily. They have dug up deep pits on the river bed, throwing all caution and the rules to the wind, and have changed the very shape and appearance of the river. Sand smugglers who have dug near pillar of Arga, Sirsia and Sichudih bridges over Usari river. Due to the process it may be collapsed any moment," added Singh.
Though the sand mining has not been put to an end completely on this side of the river (right bank), it has been on the decline due to the curbs imposed.
When acting on the directions of DC of Giridih, Dr Neha Arora,the local police officials and CO of town block Diraj Thakur recently raided the places along with other police personnel when some illegal sand miners managed to escape along with the earth-moving machines and tippers but police could succeeded to seized three tractors and arrested two sand smugglers.
Binoy Singh stated that the illegal sand miners are using the vehicles whose number plates, both on the front and behind, have been defaced. "When asked, they state that the sand blocks had been allotted to them through a tender process, and they are transporting the sand to a stockyard at different placed,"informed Singh.
Sources said that The Supreme Court's green bench has banned the use of machines for sand mining on the river beds. The government has formulated rules following the directions from the bench to ensure that the water sources are not contaminated. Despite the illegal sand miners changing the shape of the river, the officials are acting blind and taking no action at all, added sources.
Binoy Singh has also written a letter to Giridih DC and demanded that the officials should take immediate steps to identify the Giridih -Deoghar, Koderma borders clearly and put an end to the illegal sand mining. Moreover, steps should also be taken to make the sand available to the common people at affordable price.
