Officials turn blind eye to sand theft in Brahmapuri-Nagpur

There has been an alarming trend of sand theft in the region between Brahmapuri and Nagpur, which falls under the jurisdiction of 8 police stations. This illegal activity is being carried out in broad daylight, right under the nose of Nagpur Rural Traffic Police and Chandrapur, Nagpur Rural 'LCB.'

 To make matters worse, even the revenue department officials seem to be involved in this crime, which is resulting in a significant loss of revenue for the government. It is concerning that the very officials responsible for collecting revenue for the government are aiding and abetting this illegal sand theft, which is costing the government crores of rupees.

Illegal sand transportation is not only prevalent in the vicinity of police stations but also in the areas of tehsil offices and sub-divisional officers. Sindewahi and Brahmapuri have sand ghats where a significant amount of sand is transported, and stolen sand trucks are rampant in Chimur tehsil. The sub-divisional officers of Brahmapuri and Chimur are responsible for this area. In Nagpur district, stolen sand is transported from the jurisdiction of sub-divisional officer Umred and tehsildar Umred. Surprisingly, the officials responsible for collecting revenue for the government have the power to take action against illegal mining and transportation of stolen sand at these sand ghats.

Regarding Sundari Ghat, the sub-divisional officers instructed the tahsildar to personally take action against illegal sand mining and extraction, as pits of 12-15 feet are being created by poclain and JCB machines.

However, local farmers who have lodged complaints claim that no action has been taken despite the instructions. Officials from the mining department also have the authority to take action at the ghat, but they keep it closed until they receive money. On Monday, the mining department closed the ghats, but they were reopened at 11 pm after their demands were met.

During the investigation of sand theft on Umred Road, the 'Lokmat' team witnessed the Naib Tehsildar parking the government car near WCL and stopping the vehicles in the morning. Despite acting alone, the Naib Tehsildar stopped the trains and three trucks on Nagbhid road, but sources said that they left without taking action after compromising. Vehicle owners claim that officials usually compromise and do not take any action. It is surprising that officials do not use police machinery to take action against the sand theft trucks that operate all night long. When asked about this issue, the Tehsildar did not express any opinion.