Bokaro: Illegal sand mining continues throughout the day at Khetko, Chalkari, and Champi Ghats in the Petarwar police station area. However, the police or district administration remains undeterred. The reason is said to be that the local sand mafia is so powerful that they, with the help of villagers, pelt stones at raiding teams. Police and mining department officials don’t reach the sand ghats. They occasionally seize one or two sand-laden vehicles on the road to make a show of it. These three ghats are 20 to 30 kilometers from the Petarwar police station. Therefore, there is no police patrolling, which the sand mafia takes advantage of. Smugglers carry out illegal mining from these sand ghats with impunity. There’s not a single day when approximately 300 tractor loads of sand aren’t lifted from these ghats. The mining department has yet to take any concrete action to ban sand mining. This has sparked discussions in the area that their involvement in this illegal trade cannot be ruled out.
Locals Can’t Get Sand
Several villagers, frightened by the sand mafia’s dominance, request anonymity, stating that locals cannot access sand. They receive higher rates at farther distances. Therefore, the sand mafia doesn’t sell sand in the village. If a villager wants to build a house, they only receive a tractor-load of sand after five days of pleading. The lack of sand is causing significant difficulties in building their houses. Most villagers want the illegal sand trade to be stopped so they can easily obtain it, but fear prevents them from complaining. The administration, too, doesn’t take it seriously.
