Jagatsinghpur, June 28: In a major enforcement action, the Jagatsinghpur district administration seized illegally stored sand valued at over ₹1 crore during a raid at Shankharisahi village in Biridi block on Sunday.

Officials said the operation led to the recovery of more than 500 truckloads of sand that had been unlawfully stockpiled on government land.

Acting on specific intelligence inputs regarding illegal storage, the administration conducted a raid and confiscated the entire quantity on the spot.

Authorities estimated the market value of the seized sand at more than ₹1 crore, marking one of the largest such recoveries in recent times in Jagatsinghpur district.

To maintain law and order and prevent any disturbance during the process, prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) have been imposed in the affected area.

Officials said the restrictions were necessary to ensure the safe custody of the seized material and to avoid any untoward incident.

The confiscated sand has been handed over to the Biridi tehsil authorities and will be disposed of through a public auction in accordance with government procedures. Further investigation is underway to identify those responsible for the illegal stockpiling and to examine possible violations of mining and transportation rules in Biridi block, particularly in the area of Shankharisahi.

Jagatsinghpur Sub-Collector Prasant Kumar Tarai said officials received credible information that large quantities of sand had been stored illegally on government land for commercial use.

He added that such activities are strictly prohibited, and no individual is permitted to extract or store sand from multiple sources without authorization.