Illegal sand quarrying: Ex-gratia of Rs 2L each for kin of deceased

Sanchita Aich Bag | MP | 6 Mar 2023 | Siliguri: Three persons, including two minors, died while quarrying sand illegally from the Balason River in the Tripalijyot area of Matigara in Siliguri. The incident took place in the early hours of Monday. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sought a report of the incident. 

S. Ponnambalam, District Magistrate, Darjeeling late on Monday evening announced that an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each will be given to the next of kin of the deceased in the illegal sand quarrying case. 

The Matigara Police have arrested one person in connection with the incident on Monday evening. He has been identified as Shiva Sahani, a local resident. Raids are underway. The deceased have been identified as 16-year-old Rohit Kumar Sahani, 16-year-old Samal Sahani and 20-year-old Monu Kumar Chouhan. 

Among them, two were residents of Baniyakhari in Matigara and Rohit Kumar had come to his relative’s house in Matigara on a vacation from Bihar. The Matigara police station recovered the dead bodies and sent them for post-mortem. 

“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has extended her condolences to the bereaved families. On her instruction, I have come here. I talked with the family members of the deceased. I have received numerous complaints against illegal sand quarrying. I will forward these to the concerned departments. 

A detailed report on the incident will be sent to the Chief Minister. Strict action will be taken against the illegal sand quarrying,” said Gautam Deb, the Mayor of Siliguri, after visiting the spot. 

The district administration has banned all kinds of sand and stone quarrying in the Balason River since January this year. Despite several raids by the police administration, illegal quarrying is continuing at night. According to the locals, these three were digging and loading the sand on a tractor. 

Suddenly, the ground caved in. They were buried alive in the sand. One more person was injured in the incident. After receiving the news, the Matigara Police Station rushed to the spot. They unearthed the bodies with the help of a JCB. 

“The tractor owner forcibly took my son at 2 am. They worked the entire night. The incident happened early this morning,” said Surendra Chouhan, father of Monu Kumar. Sources state that a sum of Rs 300 is paid to a person for quarrying and loading by persons involved in illegal quarrying. 

Along with Mayor, Sribash Biswas, the BDO of Matigara, The Sabhadhipati of Siliguri Sub-Division reached the spot and also met the family members of the deceased and assured them of all assistance. “Sand quarrying is completely illegal. 

The Block Land Reforms Office and Matigara police have been jointly conducting continuous raids in the area. Last night, there was a raid against the illegal sand quarrying. We will take strict action against this,” said Sribash Biswas, the Block Development Officer (BDO). 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/illegal-sand-quarrying-ex-gratia-of-rs-2l-each-for-kin-of-deceased-510877