Kumar Rajiv Nayan
Ara : Officers of the Mines and Geology Department with the help of Bhojpur police conducted raids along river Sone at Koelwar and seized 8 boats loaded with sand and arrested 27 persons in connection with illegal sand mining in the river on August 29, 2018, evening.
Bijay Prasad Singh, Assistant Director, Mines and Geology Department, said that he had received several complaints regarding illegal mining and smuggling of sand despite all efforts of the government to discourage it. Even Broadson company, which was given contract for the sand mining along river Sone, had complained about illegal sand mining.
On August 29, 2018, evening, a team of Mines and Geology Department and Bhojpur police jointly conducted raids along the bank of river Sone at Koelwar. Seeing police and officials of the department, the boatmen and persons involved in illegal mining of sand escaped but police chased and arrested 27 of them and also seized 8 boats loaded with sand, Singh said. He said earlier dozens of sand laden boats were seized and action was taken against police personnel in this connection but illegal mining of sand is still going.