Sand Mining case: Massive ED raids in West Burdwan

On a day when a hearing was scheduled at the Supreme Court regarding the raid on the office and residence of I-PAC head Prateek Jain in Kolkata, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted one of its largest search operations in recent times, targeting the money trail linked to illegal sand mining mafias in West Burdwan district.

Several teams of ED officials carried out raids at multiple locations in Jamuria, Raniganj, Pandaveswar, Durgapur and Kanksha police station areas under the Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate (ADPC) from early this morning. This is being described as the biggest-ever operation by the ED against illegal sand mining in the district.

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The raid on the residence of sub-inspector Manoranjan Mondal, who was recently appointed officer-in-charge of Budbud police station by Commissioner of Police Sunil Kumar Chaudhury, created a major stir. Mondal’s house, located in the posh City Centre area of Durgapur, was searched as part of the operation.

SI Manoranjan Mondal is the first police officer in West Bengal whose residence has been searched in connection with an illegal sand mining case. Earlier, he had been suspended from his post as OC of Barabani police station under ADPC after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during an administrative meeting some time ago, warned of strict action against police personnel involved in illegal sand and coal trades.

In Jamuria, the ED allegedly seized unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 65 lakh from the residence of local businessman Rajesh Bansal. During the search operation, the ED reportedly called in additional officers and brought currency-counting machines from the State Bank of India’s Jamuria branch.

Although no arrests have been reported so far and the ED has not issued any official statement regarding the total amount seized during raids conducted at around ten locations in West Burdwan today, searches were carried out at the houses, offices and godowns of several individuals, including Prabir Dutta, Sheikh Hasan, Mirza Beg, Sheikh Kiram Mondal and Sheikh Maizul.

Sources said the ED is investigating money transaction trails and identifying influential individuals allegedly backing the large-scale illegal sand mining operations along the banks of the Damodar and Ajay rivers in West Burdwan district.

According to ED sources, hundreds of trucks transport illegally mined and overloaded sand every day from both legal and illegal sand ghats operating across the district. False challans are allegedly being used to facilitate this lucrative business in sand mining areas spread across the Asansol Sadar and Durgapur sub-divisions.

In Burnpur, a decade-old drinking water pumped storage project on the Damodar River at Kalajharia, under the Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC), collapsed around six months ago, allegedly due to unscientific illegal sand mining. Villagers from 56 surrounding villages staged protests today over the acute drinking water crisis. Despite the passage of six months, the AMC engineers have failed to restore the project.

Even the IISCO Steel Plant, along with the Burnpur township and factory, has faced severe water shortages in recent times due to reduced water flow from the Damodar river, allegedly caused by rampant illegal sand mining. Local residents alleged that while sand mining operations halt briefly following police raids, the business resumes after a short lull.