Solapur administration cracks down on sand mafia

Solapur, Feb 7 (PTI) In a crackdown on sand mafia, thedistrict administration torched 28 sand lifting boats in thelast two days, officials said today.

The sand mafia is active in four talukas - Malshiras,Pandharpur, Madha and South Solapur - causing loss runninginto crores to the state exchequer, they said.

The boats were worth Rs 1.25 crore.

District Collector Jagdish Patil told PTI that theillegal removal of sand from rivers has put the environment indanger as the water level had depleted in the region.

Constant vigil is being kept at all sand removingsites, he said.