Kendrapada: Police arrested three men on Sunday for illegal sand quarrying at Chata village under Nikirai police station in Kendrapada district. Officials confiscated three sand-laden trucks from their possession.
The arrested individuals were identified as Tutu Kumar Sethi (32) from Madanpur village, S K Answar Ali (36) from Mirzapur village and Umakanta Jena (37) from Sipura village. According to the IIC of Nikirai police station, Padmalaya Pradhan, the accused, along with others, were conducting sand quarrying in Mahanadi and Chitrotpala river beds without proper permissions.
As per sources, illegal sand mining activities have increased significantly before the monsoon season, as extraction becomes challenging during rainy periods. According to environmentalist Hemant Rout of Kendrapada, sand mafias are intensifying illegal operations to stockpile sand for higher profits during the rainy season. Additional district magistrate of Kendrapara, Nilu Mohapatra, said, "We are raiding illegal sand mining areas in the district and taking action."
