Villagers Catch Illegal Mining Red-Handed, Officials Impose ₹19 Lakh Fine
Nagpur, India: Villagers in Bitoli have stopped illegal sand mining near a lake and helped officials seize five trucks and an excavator being used for the activity.
Around 100 villagers rushed to the spot when they saw murum (a type of soil) being dug up with an excavator. The area was planted with trees by the Gram Panchayat, making the digging illegal. While three trucks managed to escape, the villagers stopped five others and immediately informed the police, revenue, and forest departments.
Officials, including Tehsildar Suresh Waghchaure and Police Inspector Rajesh Thorat, visited the site and found that a road had been made illegally by cutting down trees to let trucks pass through.
The revenue department took action and seized the five trucks and the excavator. A total fine of ₹19 lakh was imposed — ₹10 lakh for the trucks and ₹7.5 lakh for the excavator.
Similar actions have been taken by villagers in nearby areas like Salai, Itgaon, Tamaswadi, Pipla, and Dorli. Villagers are actively working to stop illegal sand mining, which causes damage to the environment and leads to loss of government revenue.
