Illegal sand reaching Bengal from Patharghatta in Nola police station area via Dumka? Claim of using challans of different districts of Bihar-Jharkhand, panic among smugglers due to strictness of Bengal Police
Asansol: The matter of alleged illegal sand mining and smuggling from the Ajay River in Jamtara district of Jharkhand is once again in discussion. According to sources, sand is allegedly being extracted on a large scale from the Ajay River in the Patharghatta area of Nola police station jurisdiction and sent to other states every day through hundreds of vehicles. It is claimed that the network associated with this alleged business originates from Jharkhand and extends through Dumka to several districts and towns including Birbhum in West Bengal.
Sources claim that the sand-laden vehicles leaving Patharghatta may not only be using challans from Dhanbad or the local area, but also from districts of Bihar like Gaya, Jamui, and Nalanda. However, official confirmation of these claims has not been made yet, and an administrative investigation is required into the entire matter.
Claim of 100 to 200 trucks leaving Patharghatta daily
According to local sources, alleged large-scale sand lifting is taking place from the Ajay River in the Patharghatta area. It is claimed that around 100 to 200 trucks of sand are being sent to other areas from here daily.
It is also alleged that the sand is being transported to West Bengal through various routes. Reports of its supply through Dumka to Birbhum and other areas of Bengal have come to light.
If this claim is found to be true, the question arises as to how such large-scale alleged sand transportation is operating without the knowledge of the concerned departments? Questions are also being raised on the surveillance system from river ghats to transportation routes and the interstate border.
The game of challans or misuse of documents
The most serious allegation in this entire matter is regarding the challans. According to sources, challans of such districts are being attached to some sand-laden vehicles whose actual loading point and the vehicle's route do not match.
Challans of Bihar districts like Gaya, Jamui, and Nalanda are reportedly being attached to sand vehicles originating from Jharkhand.
In such a situation, the biggest question is that if the challan belongs to another district, then where did the concerned vehicle actually start carrying sand from? Is the challan linked to the actual loading point? And are the vehicle's route, loading point, and documents being matched?
These questions will only become clear after an investigation.
Alleged attempt to transport up to Asansol
According to sources, people associated with the Prasenjit faction were allegedly trying to transport sand to Asansol and surrounding areas of Paschim Bardhaman district through the Nola police station area.
It is claimed that challans of Nalanda and Jamui were attached to some vehicles. However, official confirmation of these allegations has not been made either.
Sources also claim that the alleged network has previously been involved in the sand business in West Bengal and is now trying to become active once again after the change of power.
The names of political parties and leaders are also coming up in these allegations. But independent and official confirmation of the allegations leveled against any political person or organization has not been made yet. Therefore, a fair investigation into the entire matter is necessary.
Strictness of Bengal Police ruined the game
After West Bengal tightened inspections of sand vehicles coming on challans from other states, new difficulties have arisen before the alleged sand smuggling network.
According to sources, merely showing the challan is no longer considered sufficient, but evidence such as GPS photos and locations related to the loading point are also being demanded.
Following this, long queues of sand-laden vehicles are reported to have formed from Jharkhand's Dibudih check post to Rupnarayanpur check post.
It is being told that a large number of vehicles are standing at the border waiting for inspection. Due to the non-matching of documents and loading point information, vehicles are facing trouble in moving forward.
Claim of five vehicles caught in Barabani
Meanwhile, five sand-laden vehicles with Bihar challans are reported to have been caught in the Barabani police station area of Paschim Bardhaman district.
According to sources, the police became suspicious regarding the documents of these vehicles and their alleged route. It is claimed that according to the challans on the basis of which the vehicles were carrying sand, the arrival of the concerned vehicles reaching Barabani via Nola police station area was suspicious.
Apart from this, information is also coming to light that the necessary GPS photo and location of the loading point were not available.
Now the police are investigating whether the challans attached to the vehicles are genuine or if they have been used in some other way. The real picture of the entire network will come to the fore only after the investigation is completed.
Panic among sand traders due to action
Following this strictness by the Bengal police and administration, panic is reported among vehicle operators bringing sand from Jharkhand and Bihar and the alleged smuggling network.
Sources say that strict document verification and GPS-based verification at the border have increased the difficulties of those who were allegedly trying to transport sand on the basis of challans from another place.
Now the alleged sand traders are looking for new routes and new methods to avoid this strictness.
If investigated, a big network can be exposed
If the entire network of sand transportation from the Patharghatta area of the Ajay River to Dumka, the Jharkhand-Bengal border, and Barabani-Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman is investigated, many important facts can come to light.
It will be important for investigation agencies to see—
From which loading point the sand was actually lifted,
For which place the challan in possession of the vehicle was issued,
How much difference is there between the challan and the vehicle's GPS route,
Are the vehicle's documents genuine?
Whether Bihar challans were used for sand extracted from Jharkhand,
Whether illegal mining is taking place on the banks of the Ajay River or not,
Whether the concerned departments had information about the alleged movement of hundreds of vehicles daily or not,
Answers to these questions will come out only through administrative and police investigations.
Now all eyes on the administration's next action
This matter of alleged illegal sand mining from the Ajay River and interstate transportation has once again raised questions on the illegal sand business. If the claim of transportation of 100 to 200 trucks daily is true, then this is not a small-scale matter but points towards a large network.
Currently, after the strictness of the Bengal Police, vehicle checks have intensified at the border and reports of some vehicles being caught have come to light. Now it remains to be seen whether the investigation remains limited only to vehicles and challans or reaches the entire network from alleged illegal sand mining in the Ajay River to dumping sand in Bengal.
The biggest question is—Under whose patronage is the alleged illegal sand coming out of the Ajay River crossing the border and how large is the entire network to deliver it to the market of Bengal through fake or suspicious documents?
In the coming days, the investigation by the police and administration can reveal the true picture of this alleged sand smuggling game.
