Nagpur: Despite stern steps just taken on July 1, Anti-mining Day, by the Nagpur district administration, and as many as 116 trucks loaded with sand and 13 brick-kilns seized during raids in the district, the sand-mafia gang is still active in illegal excavation of sand from various places. It is seems that the sand-mafias are so well organized in their crime that they have no fear of what they are doing, and they are not scared of the administrative action against them, or may be, they are dauntlessly acting under political blessings. The sand-mafia of Khaparkheda, Latif Ansari, is one of the examples of such illegally carried out mining of sand from various resourceful sand-beds in rural areas.
It is learnt about him that looking into his criminal background a proposal of his externment was moved by Rural Police in year 2011 to the office of Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Khaparkheda, but no action was virtually taken on the issue for a few years. The Rural Police then kept sending repeated reminders and it was year 2013 when the proposal of Ansari’s exterment was approved by the SDM, and he was accordingly externed.
When Latif Ansari approached the court against his externment, the court dismissed his exterment order on the ground of delay. It then gave a sort of encouragement to Ansari to become active again in his world of crimes relating to illegal mining of sand.
According to sources, Ansari then sought certain political blessings in the district and kept continuing his criminal act. It is on record that, about 18 months ago, a probationary IPS officer had to face a murderous attempt on his by the sand-mafia. This incident created an alert in the functioning of Rural Police which then arrested Latif Ansari and his accomplices under MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organized Crimes Act) and sent them to jail. But, after a period of six months, he was released on the report of the cabinet review committee at Mantralaya on MCOCA.
Illegal mining 24×7
The role of sand-mafia is so much deep-rooted that to whatever extent the district collector or the guardian minister or even the state government may go to curb it, it will be a difficult task to do. Its reason is simple. The sand-mining is carried out in every legislative assembly segment right from sun-rise to sun-set (officially) on all days of the week. When the sand-mining is to be carried out beyond these timings, the sources have informed, the sand-mafia has to please the local area wise MLA with money in lakhs. Such a political protection is sufficient for the sand-mafias to flourish.
– Rajeev Ranjan Kushwaha ( rajeev.nagpurtoday@gmail.com )
