Maharashtra: Crackdown in Thane against illegal sand mining; 10 barges, 16 suction pumps seized

The Thane district administration in Maharashtra has seized 10 illegal barges and 16 suction pumps allegedly being used for unauthorised sand extraction in the DiveKewani creek area of Bhiwandi officials said on TuesdayThe seized equipment estimated to be worth around Rs 350 crore was being destroyed as part of the action according to the district administrationThe operation was carried out jointly by teams from the revenue department district mining department vigilance squads police and the Maharashtra Maritime BoardThe search operation began on Monday night and continued into the early hours of Tuesday Around 245 am officials spotted illegal sand extraction activity near the DiveKewani crematorium area the administration saidThe operation was led by District Mining Officer Vivek Ghule along with vigilance squads Bhiwandi Tehsildar Abhijit Khole Thane Tehsildar Umesh Patil and other officialsAccording to the administration workers at the site attempted to avoid the action by opening the valves of the barges and suction pumps and sinking the equipment in the creekOfficials also alleged that while attempting to flee one of the barges hit mangroves in the creek causing damage to the vegetationOne detainedMost of the workers reportedly jumped into the deeper waters and fled after noticing the enforcement team However officials detained a 19yearold worker originally from Sahibganj in JharkhandHe was handed over to the police for further legal actionThe administration said all 10 seized barges were found to be unregistered with the Maharashtra Maritime Board and were therefore unauthorisedSunken barges recoveredOfficials said the administration waited for low tide before entering the creek to recover the bargesThe officials closed the valves of the submerged barges and brought them back to the surface The barges and suction pumps were then moved with the help of boats to Ganesh Ghat in Kalwa and Mumbra for scrappingThe seized equipment has been placed under the custody of Kharbao Circle Officer Sudhakar Kamdi officials saidCases to be registeredThe district administration said legal proceedings were being initiated at Bhiwandi and Mumbra Police stations under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita the Environment Protection Act and revenue lawsOfficials said the action was aimed at curbing unauthorised sand extraction and preventing further environmental damageThe administration has also said that enforcement action against illegal sand mining will continue across Thane districtOfficials involved in operationThe operation was carried out under the guidance of Thane District Collector Dr Shrikrishna Panchal and Additional District Collector Harishchandra PatilSubDivisional Officers Amit Sanap and Urmila Patil Tehsildars Abhijit Khole and Umesh Patil District Mining Officer Vivek Ghule Circle Officer Sudhakar Kamdi and other revenue officials were involved in the operationMembers of the vigilance squads including Assistant Revenue Officer Sanjay Balram Jadhav Revenue Assistants Dinesh Borhade Darshan Nate and Anil Rajpure along with police personnel also took part in the operation