Illegal sand mining equipment worth Rs 50 lakh destroyed by authorities in Diva

Thane, May 26 (PTI) The Thane district administration destroyed equipment used for illegal sand mining in Diva after a surprise inspection, an official said on Monday.

The raid was carried out on Sunday after the revenue department received a tip off about unauthorized sand dredging near the railway bridge in the Mumbra creek zone, he said.

Thane Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Urmila Patil and Tehsildar Umesh Patil led a patrol team to the creek area situated between Mumbra and Kalyan, he said.

"The team detected illegal sand extraction being conducted using a barge and a powerful suction pump. We destroyed the equipment on the spot by sinking both the barge and suction pump in the creek. These cost Rs 50 lakh," SDO Urmila Patil told reporters. PTI COR BNM