Puri: In a crackdown on illegal sand mining near Mangala river mouth at Baliapanda here, a joint team of district administration, police and Central Electricity Supply Utility of Odisha (CESU) seized 15 trucks and two earth-movers during a raid Thursday night.
Police have detained nine drivers for the sand lifting while some others managed to flee the spot.
According to sources, a few influential people were lifting sand from some dunes near Mangala estuary for last several days. They were using many trucks and tractors to transport sand to several places in the city and its outskirts.
It is learnt that some underground cables of CESU were damaged by the illegal sand mining in Baliapanda area a few days ago. Taking the issue seriously, a joint team led by sub-collector Bhabataran Sahu, CESU executive officer Sibaprasad Swain and Baliapanda police in-charge Bamdeb Swain raided the place and seized the vehicles.
“We have lodged a complaint with the police regarding illegal sand mining that damaged several underground cables,” Swain said.
