Illegal sand mining racket busted in Maharashtra's Thane, machinery of Rs 90 lakh destroyed

Thane: Authorities in Maharashtra's Thane district have carried out a crackdown against illegal sand mining in Bhiwandi taluka and destroyed various equipment, including barges, collectively valued at around Rs 90 lakh, officials said on Saturday.

The revenue department carried out the operation in Kevani creek area on Friday based on a tip-off, an official release said.

"The revenue department took major action against the mafia involved in illegal sand mining in the Kevani Sand Port area. In this operation, property worth about Rs 80 to 90 lakh was destroyed," it said.

During the operation, led by District Collector Shrikrishna Panchal, authorities destroyed five suction units and eight barges allegedly used in extraction of sand. The equipment was burnt and the barges were sunk in the creek, resulting in heavy financial losses to those involved in illegal activities, it added.

The mafia had created 12 large storage tanks along the creek to stock illegally extracted sand. These tanks were demolished using three backhoe loader machines, the release said.

Authorities said the land used for storing the sand falls under the 'reserved forest' category.

"Since the activity was being carried out on reserved forest land, strict action will also be taken by the forest department and the Mangrove Conservation Unit," it said.

Personnel from Bhiwandi Rural police station were deployed during the operation to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident, the release added.

The district administration said it has intensified its campaign against illegal sand mining in recent months, with multiple cases registered and equipment seized in earlier drives.