Crackdown on illegal sand quarrying in Dauk River

Raiganj: A joint operation by the police and Block Land & Land Reforms officials targeted illegal sand quarrying along the Dauk River at Narayanpur under Chopra Police Station in North Dinajpur district on Thursday morning. They seized several tools and equipment used in the operation, including pump sets, generators, a sophisticated quarrying machine and boats. The crackdown follows reports that miscreants were illegally extracting sand from various ghats of the river, with over 200 lorries transporting sand daily without paying royalties.

Lalit Raj Thapa, Block Land & Land Reforms Officer of Chopra, confirmed the raid and said: “Based on specific information, we conducted the operation at Narayanpur Ghat and seized multiple quarrying accessories. We will continue our raids over the coming days across all the ghats of the Dauk River in our block and stern steps will be taken against illegal quarrying.”

Suraj Thapa , IC Chopra Police Station, stated: “During the raid, we seized boats, a sophisticated quarrying machine, generators and pump sets from the riverbed. The miscreants fled from the spot, but efforts are underway to arrest them. Our operations against illegal sand quarrying will continue indefinitely.” This action aligns with the state government’s broader initiative to curb illegal sand extraction.