SANGUEM: A day after raid on an illegal sand extraction site at Uguem on December 13, flying squad led by Mamlatdar of Sanguem Taluka Pravinjay Pandit, conducted a second at Valshem-Naiquinim in Bhati Village.
The illegal extraction of sand was being undertaken only a few metres away from the main road, close to the Valshem Bridge.
Sources disclosed that mining of river sand has been rampant at Valshem-Naiquinim for many years, but was stopped a couple of months ago, after the crackdown spurred by the shooting incident in a sand extraction case at Curchorem.
They said that the sand mafia has recently resurfaced despite the High Court of Bombay at Goa order banning river sand extraction in the State.
After a tip off about the unauthorised sand extraction activities, the flying squad accompanied by personnel from the Sanguem Police Station and Assistant Geologist Senford Fernandes from the Mines and Minerals Department conducted the raid and seized around 15 cubic metres of sand.
After conducting the panchanama and other investigations, the seized material was dumped back into the river using an earthmover. Mamlatdar Pravinjay Pandit told Herald that the Sanguem police would file an FIR against those involved in the offence.
