Illegal sand mining continues in Narmada and its tributaries:Boats and trolleys used in Narsinghpur; company accused of collusion

Even after 7,000 cubic meters of illegal sand were seized in Khairi Sankal village of Narsinghpur district, the morale of sand mafias remains high. Despite continuous action by the administration, the illegal trade of sand from Narmada and its tributary rivers continues unabated. The latest incident came to light on Monday from Sagun Ghat in Kareli Janpad, where mafias are fearlessly extracting sand from the middle of the Narmada river using boats. From Sagun Ghat, sand is being brought to the shore using boats and then smuggled towards Ratikrar in tractor-trolleys. The surprising thing is that a government-approved mine exists in Dharampuri, and the authorized company ‘Power Mac’ is responsible for the security of Sagun and Ratikrar Ghats. Despite this, the company’s team has turned a blind eye to this illegal activity, deepening the suspicion of collusion between the mafia and the company. When the media team reached Sagun Ghat around 5 AM on Monday morning, the scene there was shocking. Since early morning, dozens of tractor-trolleys were lining up to load sand, and four boats in the river were busy extracting sand. Even after seeing the media cameras, there was no fear on the faces of the sand thieves; they continued their work with great ease. Minors also involved in smuggling, videos sent to administration Another alarming fact that emerged in this illegal work was that minor children were also being employed for sand mining and transportation. When asked about the masterminds behind this work, they remained silent. Waiting for action The media team made geo-tagged (location-based) videos from the spot and sent them to the Collector on WhatsApp. However, due to being on leave for personal reasons, she could not see them. Inspector-level officers of the Mining Department were also out of the district on Monday, to whom these videos have been forwarded. According to sources, this entire matter has now come to the notice of top administration officials, and the Task Force Committee may soon take action at this ghat.