Illegally mined sand seized in Pampore

Pulwama, Oct 16: Authorities in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district have seized multiple truckloads of sand that had been illegally extracted and dumped at Litterbal area of Saffron town Pampore.
The operation, carried out under the supervision of Tehsildar Pampore Malik Asif Ahmad, targeted the activities of the sand mafia, whose actions are threatening the local topography and embankments of river Jhelum at the particular spot.
According to officials, around 15 truckloads of illegally mined sand were confiscated during the raid.
The sand, which had been stored at Litterbal for sale, has been transported to the Tehsil office in Pampore.
Authorities have stated that the seized sand will be auctioned through a bidding process in the coming days.
Tehsildar Pampore, Malik Asif Ahmad explained that the sand mafia’s activities have caused significant damage to the embankments of the Jhelum River at the spot.
He said that weakening of river embankments poses a flood threat to nearby communities which includes the persons involved in illegal sand mining activities.
He emphasised that illegal sand mining in the Litterbal area would not be tolerated and that strict action would be taken against those involved.
“We have seized the illegally dumped sand and will take legal action against the offenders,” he said, warning that anyone found engaged in illegal sand mining would face severe penalties as per the law.
He said that they have destroyed structures utilised by the mafia for sand mining.
Few trucks involved in the illegal mining were also seized.
A blanket ban on sand mining in the Jhelum River at Litterbal has already been imposed, following the observed damage to the embankments.
The authorities reiterated their commitment to preserving the local environment and protecting the safety of the residents.