Nagpur: Around 250 to 300 sand transporters, mostly from Umred, Bhiwapur and Ramtek talukas, staged a protest outside the district collectorate on Tuesday, alleging arbitrary action by Nagpur Rural Police amid an intensified crackdown on overloaded sand vehicles and related violations.Led by activist Nitin Tiwari, the transporters submitted a memorandum to the district collector, claiming cases were being registered against them under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act despite possessing valid permits and paying royalty through the official MahaMining system.The transporters alleged that vehicle owners and drivers were being unfairly targeted while sand quarry operators and flaws in the permit-generation software escaped scrutiny. According to them, the MahaMining system itself allows permits exceeding vehicle carrying capacity.Taking note of the complaints, the district collector directed officials to summon representatives of the company operating the MahaMining app and assured a joint meeting involving police, company officials, and transporters. The collector also said the matter would be discussed with Nagpur Rural SP Harssh A Poddar.Meanwhile, rural police continued enforcement drives against overloaded sand transport. During operations on May 17 and 18, Ramtek police seized five 12-wheeler tippers carrying around 44 brass of excess sand valued at over Rs1.92 crore and registered five offences. The accused include vehicle owners and drivers from Nagpur, Amravati and Bhandara districts.In another operation, Pachgaon Police seized three overloaded tippers carrying 29.5 brass of excess sand worth Rs1.11 crore and registered three cases. Narkhed Police also booked a 10-wheeler tipper transporting excess sand valued at Rs25.30 lakh.Police officials said overloading damages roads, threatens public safety, encourages illegal mining and harms river ecosystems. They maintained the action was based on physical inspections during patrolling and aimed at protecting government revenue and the environment.Transporters, however, argued that enforcement agencies should address systemic loopholes instead of penalising only drivers and vehicle owners. Warning of intensified agitation, they demanded corrective measures and fair treatment.
