Patna: Aurangabad district magistrate (DM) Rahul Ranjan Mahiwal on Sunday carried out raids on illegal sand mining operations and seized 76 overloaded trucks from the Barun police station area.

Acting on a tip-off, a team comprising officials of the district administration, the mining department and district police carried out raids at Sheikhpura Ghat and intercepted sand-laden trucks on the National Highway II under the jurisdiction of Barun police station early in the morning.

The vehicles were carrying sand from the sand ghats above the permissible limit. Later, FIRs were lodged against the owners and drivers of the seized vehicles bearing the registration number of Uttar Pradesh. Sources that the drive was launched on the directive of the district magistrate.

The officials swung into action two days after DM Mahiwal held a meeting with the officials to check illegal sand mining and transportation. Aurangabad sub-divisional officer (SDO) Pradeep Kumar said a hefty fine would be imposed on the seized vehicles.

On June 21, 30 tractors carrying sand were seized by the police. The vehicles were engaged in transportation of sand in violation of the prescribed rules. Station house officer (SHO) Narottam Kumar said FIRs were lodged against the owners, drivers and cleaners of the vehicles.

The action followed a meeting held under the chairmanship of Mahiwal with the district mining department and the police on Friday to chalk out a strategy to stop illegal mining from different ghats. District superintendent of police Satya Prakash and district mining officer Beena Kumari were present at the meeting.

The DM had issued instructions to install CCTVs in important routes leading to the ghats and prepare the list of illegal ghats so that magistrates could be deployed at the ghats to keep surveillance on sand smugglers. The DM had suggested to depute magistrate and other staff in three shifts.