Balasore: As major crackdown on illegal sand mining continues across the State, at least 32 hyvas were seized during a midnight raid by the district administration of Balasore in Odisha on Wednesday. A joint enforcement team led by Collector Suryawanshi Mayur Vikas and SP Pratyush Diwaker carried out the raid leading to the detention of ten persons in this connection. 

As per reports, the district administration swung into action after receiving a tip-off on sand mining being carried out at the Subarnarekha river bed. A team including the Collector, SP, Sub-Collector Shiv Malviya and DSP Manisha Shagun carried out a midnight raid leading to the seizures and arrests. Jaleswar Tehsildar Satyajit Mohanty and local police personnel were also part of the co-ordinated efforts to curb unauthorised extraction of sand.

The raid comes a day after after 46 hyvas were seized and six persons arrested during a raid on Kilipal quarrry at Tirtol in Jagatsinghpur district. DIG, Central Range Satyajit Nayak, who had led the team shared that the mining at the quarry was being carried out in violation of OMMC Rules, 2023, causing a financial loss of around Rs 15.28 crore to the state exchequer.

No illegal miner will be spared, warns Mines Minister

The strike is part of a State-wide clampdown on organised sand mining mafia after a series of smuggling incidents grabbed headlines prompting Mines Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena to announce a 'zero-tolerance' approach to illegal miners on Wednesday. Jena had warned that anyone attempting to bypass government enforcement would not be spared.

The warning from the Odisha government comes close on the heels of the recent attack by sand smugglers on Betnoti tehsildar in Mayurbhanj district, causing serious injuries to him and four other government employees. The tehsildar's driver Nihar Ranjan Biswal had sustained major head injury in the attack. Revenue Supervisor Hemakanta Mohanta, Jugupura RI Sanjeev Mohanta and Satyabrata Naik accompanying the Tahsildar were also thrashed during the incident. The team had been intercepted by 15 smugglers who halted the newly-appointed tehsildar's vehicle and assaulted the officials

Also read: Odisha: Tahsildar, four Government employees injured in attack by sand smugglers in Mayurbhanj