2 held for illegal sand mining in Myntdu

JOWAI: Two persons were arrested for illegally mining sand in the Myntdu, which in violation of an NGT ban on activities affecting the river and the surrounding ecology.
The arrests have revealed that illegal sand mining, which has enormous impact on the environment, is going on unabated despite the ban.
Police said the truck was spotted by members of Union of Strait Brothers, a bikers’ group, around 6.30pm on Saturday. They immediately informed the police.
“We are concerned about the illegal activities along the Myntdu despite the NGT ban and on Saturday night we spotted the truck (MLO4B-4193) loading sand at a place called Tre-iongriang,” a biker said.
The truck driver, Ialam Liam, and his helper, Fifty Star Ryngkhlem, both from Demthring were arrested. The truck belongs to Anjali Challam of Mission Compound in Jowai and the sand is mined for Phranki of Demthring. The duo revealed that a number of trucks were mining sand in the Myntdu at night.