Kolkata, Nov 19 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has written to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), seeking a comprehensive investigation by the central agency to unearth the alleged nexus between Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders and sand smuggling mafias in West Bengal.
BJP MLA from Asansol (Dakshin) legislator Agnimitra Paul, accused Tarun Chakraborty, the councillor of Ward Number 87 of Asansol Municipal Corporation, of actively aiding and abetting the unauthorised extraction of sand from Damra Ghat on the Damodar River, and collecting significant amounts of money from the operation.
The fashion designer-turned-politician also listed several alleged sand smuggling gangs in her letter to the ED.
“The Damodar River is losing its course due to illegal sand mining. Many places have become dangerous. Several people are losing their lives while taking a bath,” Paul said on Tuesday evening.
Detailing about the letter to the ED, she said, "The roads of various villages are being destroyed due to continuous movement of sand-laden lorries and tractors. The environment is getting polluted in an alarming manner. I will immediately request the ED to intervene in this matter.”
This development follows the ED's earlier arrest of a businessman, Arun Saraf, in connection with a sand smuggling case in the state, the first such arrest in West Bengal.
The ED has since conducted searches across various locations, including a businessman’s residence in Asansol, focusing on the illicit sand extraction network.
This time, MLA Agnimitra Paul has directly levelled an allegation against the Trinamool councillor on the sand smuggling issue.
In response to the allegations of the BJP legislator, TMC councillor Tarun Chakraborty denied any involvement in the illegal activities.
"We have been seeing sand being removed from Damra Ghat since childhood. Sand is still being removed from Damra Ghat. Local poor and unemployed people, especially the youngsters, take the sand on bicycles, rickshaws or tractors. I have no connection with this," the TMC leader told media persons on Wednesday, dismissing the accusations as baseless.
He claimed to have already written to various authorities regarding the illegal sand mining from the ghat.
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