Bagaha, April 17: Illegal sand mining on the Gandak riverbed in Bagaha police district is costing the state exchequer around Rs 1 crore in royalty every year.
Sources said illegal mining along the riverbed is flourishing, while some in West Champaran are reaping benefits of the practice, thanks to slack supervision by the district administration. The involvement of influential people is also factored in for the unabated mining, they said.
Residents of Piparasi, Madhubani, Bhitaha and Thakaraha blocks in West Champaran accuse the mines development officers, district officials and police officers to be silent spectators as the sand mines are plundered. This is when the chief minister has time and again iterated his commitment to curb down economic offences in the state.
Shivprakash Mahto, a resident of Bagaha, said: “A large number of tractor-trailers and other vehicles transporting sand are seen plying on the Gandak riverbed every day. This goes on because the officials are lax in their supervision.” The Gandak riverbed stretches along the Bihar-UP border and passes through Semra-Labdeha and Piparasi panchayats of Piparasi block.
Sources said contractors authorised to mine only in the Bagaha-II block have extended their operations to the stretch under Piparasi, Madhubani, Bhitaha and Thakaraha blocks on the right embankment of the Gandak.
Chhitauni resident Brajesh Jaiswal said: “This is a breeding ground of crime and corruption. The course of the Gandak has also started to gradually change its route as a result of the illegal mining of the riverbed. In time to come, it might blur the boundary between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.”
Lalan Kushwaha, a former mukhiya (village head) of Bhitaha block, has also urged director-general of police Abhayanand to initiate a probe into the matter through the police’s economic offences wing.
Suresh Rai, the president of a village embankment protection action committee formed to protest against the illegal sand mining, had filed a writ application before Patna High Court (CWJC No. 2883) in order to draw the West Champaran district administration’s attention towards the issue. The high court bench of Justice Meena Kumari and Justice Vikash Jain, hearing the matter on February 18, directed Rai to approach the West Champaran collector and represent his case before him for expeditious disposal of the case. On March 15, Rai represented the matter before the West Champaran collector, Shridhar C, in accordance with the high court’s guideline. He claimed the collector (who is also the district magistrate) assigned the district mining development officer the responsibility to look into the case. Gopal Sah, the officer concerned, however, said: “I have been assigned no such inquiry by the district magistrate.”
The district magistrate could not be contacted.
