Maharashtra Destroys Rs 90 Lakh Worth of Illegal Sand‑Mining Equipment in Thane
Maharashtra destroys Rs 90 lakh sand‑mining equipment in Thane crackdown.
Authorities in Maharashtra’s Thane district have destroyed sand‑mining equipment worth about ₹90 lakh in a major crackdown on illegal sand‑mining operations in Bhiwandi taluka. The action, carried out by the revenue department in the Kevani creek area, was aimed at dismantling a network of “sand mafia” extracting and stockpiling sand without legal authorisation.
The operation, led by District Collector Shrikrishna Panchal, targeted the Kevani Sand Port area after officials received a tip‑off about ongoing illegal dredging. In the raid, teams destroyed five suction units and eight barges allegedly used to pull sand from the creek, burning the equipment and sinking the barges in the water to inflict heavy financial losses on the operators.
Authorities also demolished 12 large storage tanks built along the creek to hold illegally mined sand, using three backhoe loader machines to raze the makeshift structures. The land where the tanks were erected falls under the “reserved forest” category, which draws stricter environmental and forest‑law scrutiny and has triggered follow‑up action plans from the forest department and the Mangrove Conservation Unit.
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Local officials described the raid as part of an intensified campaign against sand‑mining mafias that have repeatedly flouted permit norms and environmental regulations in Thane‑area creeks. The ₹90‑lakh valuation of the destroyed machinery comes on top of a similar, earlier operation in which roughly ₹30 lakh worth of sand‑dredging equipment was eliminated in the same district, underscoring an ongoing effort to rein in unauthorised extraction.
With sand a critical commodity for construction and infrastructure, repeated crackdowns reflect both revenue‑protection and ecological concerns, as unchecked mining can erode creek banks, damage aquatic habitats, and increase flood risks. Thane authorities have signalled that further raids and legal action will follow, pledging to supplement the destruction of equipment with stricter monitoring and prosecution of those involved in illegal sand‑mining networks.
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