SNAP POLITICAL NEXUS TO DISBAND SAND MAFIA

THE Enforcement Directorate’s crackdown has laid bare the dark underbelly of sand smuggling in Odisha.

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Beyond political patronage, money laundering and funding of illegal enterprises, the investigation has exposed systemic failures that allow the racket to thrive. Acting ona Comptroller and Auditor General report, the ED raided over two dozen locations in Ganjam district. The findings were damning: cash and properties worth crores, forcible takeover of leases from legitimate holders, and mining carried out in brazen violation of norms. Ganjam is no exception; the pattern is replicated across the state.