Six tractors, loader seized in Paliganj for illegal sand mining

Patna: As part of its ongoing crackdown on illegal sand mining, transportation, and storage, the Paliganj police carried out a raid early Tuesday, seizing six tractors loaded with illegally mined yellow sand and one loader.Acting on a tip-off about illegal mining at a ghat in Janpura, a joint team comprising mining inspectors, the mining task force, the SHO, and a patrolling unit raided the site around 1.30am.Officials found six tractors carrying sand and a loader used for extraction. The drivers and operators fled on seeing the authorities. All vehicles were impounded, and a formal seizure list was prepared.An FIR was lodged under the relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and the Bihar Minerals (Concession, Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rules-2019, amended in 2024.The loader was reportedly used for large-scale extraction, contributing to an estimated stockpile of around 7,000 cubic feet. Mining authorities calculated total penalties at approximately Rs23.81 lakh, with fines ranging from over Rs1 lakh for each tractor to Rs 10lakh for the loader, plus additional compounding charges.