Bandipora, Oct. 4 -- Suhail Rather

In one of the strictest enforcement drives against illegal mining in recent times, the Bandipora Mining Department, in coordination with Bandipora Police, carried out an extensive crackdown between October 2 and October 4 across multiple areas of the district.

Under the supervision of the newly posted District Mineral Officer (DMO), authorities seized a total of 26 vehicles involved in illegal extraction and transportation of minerals and recovered Rs 2,44,235 in fines through POS machines to ensure complete transparency.

In the Sumbal, Hajin, and Shadipora areas, a joint enforcement team seized 14 vehicles, which included seven tippers, one dumper, five Tata Mobiles, and one tractor. Of these, four t...