Vehicles caught engaged in illegal mining

In a drive against illegal mining, authorities on Sunday seized a JCB and 10 tractors among the 21 vehicles engaged in transporting illegally mined sand in Chhattisgarh’s Baloda Bazar-Bhatapara district, an official said.

Assistant Mining Officer Bablu Pandey said eight tractors were intercepted from the illegal sand quarries located near Hasuva, Baloda and Rampur Kot villages on the bank of Jonk river while shifting sand.

Similarly, the Mining Department seized one JCB engaged in illegal murum excavation in Sonpuri village in the Baloda Bazar block, the officer said.

The Mining Department also seized a huge cache of lime stone and bricks loaded in two separate tractors.

District Collector Sunil Kumar Jain has told mining officials to take further action against the illegal mining.