KUMUD JENAMANI
Jamshedpur, Aug 27: Of late, Kharkai river has emerged as a viable source of income for the poor who are contributing to the business of sand mafias after the latter were axed by the police.
A sizable number of bustee-dwellers can now be seen carrying sands on their bicycles from the Kharkai river ghats to a convenient corner near the river in Adityapur for an petty amount as low as Rs 10 per a sackful of sands.
After the sands get piled up so much as to fill a truck, the mafia concerned immediately gets the stock disposed of at its destination by truck.
It may be mentioned here that lifting of sands from river-ghats is prohibited during a period starting from June 15 till October 15 as per a directive of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
But as sand is an unavoidable ingredient for building construction activity, the lifting of the same from the river ghats was continuing clandestinely from the Kharkai river ghats irrespective of the NGT’s directives.
In the act of sand lifting, mainly tractors and dumpers were being used. But after Bimal Kumar joined as the superintendent of police of the Seraikela-Kharsawan district, he launched a special drive against the sand mafia and stopped sand-lifting from the river ghats.
But the sand mafias evolved a new way to collect the sands from the river ghats and the tricky way is engaging unemployed men and women to carry the sands by cycles.
The sand mafias succeed to keep their business thriving as they are selling the sands at more than triple price to the builders after buying the same from bustee dwellers. Moreover, the builders too do not give a second thought while purchasing the sand at a high price in view of the non-availability of it during the period of NGT restrictions.
At the Kharkai river ghats along Adityapur, as many as 150 bustee dwellers can be seen pushing their sand-sack laden cycles. Significantly, before filling the sacks these people ensure that the sands are properly sieved.
A senior police officer while talking to lagatar24.com said that they are prepared to crack down on those carrying sands in the cycles for selling the stuff to the sand mafias active there. The officer also claimed that any vehicle like truck, tractor or dumper will be seized if four loaded with sands.
