Date | April 07, 2017:

In one of the biggest crack downs on the state's sand mafia in recent times, the Thane revenue depart ment, led by collector Mahendra Kalyankar, seized over 26,000 tonnes of sand illegally excavated from the Kalyan creek, on Wednesday. The collector also asked the KDMC to come up with a plan to beautify the Retibandar stretch and remove all illegal constructions. The Thane collector said the1.5-km stretch in Retibandar area, along the Ulhas river, could be developed like the Mumbra-Parsik chowpatty and he has asked the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Coroporation (KDMC) to prepare a proposal for beautification of the area.

Over 300 staff from departments including the KDMC, revenue, Maharashtra Maritime Board and police were involved in busting the racket. The mafia, operating blatantly even by day, was apparently taken by surprise as their entire stock of excavated sand, stored in mounds for drying at 19 plots along the creek, couldn't be removed in time. The dredgers had also constructed jetties to facilitate easy movement of sand. "The raiding team destroyed several equipment to ensure they aren't reused," said an official.

Kalyankar, who was at the spot till the wee hours of Thursday, claimed this was one of the biggest seizures of illegal sand in recent times in the state. "I was passing by this stretch on Wednesday towards Ulhasnagar, for the mayoral elections, when I noticed this activity . On my return, I discussed the issue with KDMC commissioner E Ravindran and deputy police commissioner Sanjay Shinde and chalked out a plan to crack down on the mafia," he said.

The sand mafia has been active in Retibandar area for many years, reportedly thriving with support from several politicians and officials. In fact, this is the second time such a huge cache was seized from Kalyan.Last October, a similar raid yielded around 4,500 brass of sand.A brass, used as a measure for loose material like sand, metal, etc, equals 100 cubic feet.

Sources said the collector has ordered a probe to determine if any officials were hand-inglove with the sand mafia.

Arun Wankhede, a KDMC official said, " After the crackdown, we will level the area with the recovered sand so citizens can temporarily use it like a beach." Residents welcomed the move. Madan Darade, an activist said, "If the area near the creek is developed, it will be a boon for citizens as they will get anice place for recreation."

TIMES VIEW: Excessive use and unchecked mining of sand portend serious consequences for the environment unless law-enforcing agencies find effective solutions. The move to beautify the Retibandar waterfront and make it accessible to visitors may lead to more public involvement in safeguarding the area against miners. Such is the extent of beach and riverside quarrying that it has led to erosion in groundwater channels and damage to foundations of road and railway bridges in the state.The government will hopefully follow up its action with sustained monitoring and prosecution of those responsible for the crisis.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)