A revenue enforcement team was allegedly blocked during an operation against illegal murum excavation in Kanersar, in Pune district’s Khed taluka, after a dumper driver tipped soil onto the road and fled, according to a complaint filed with Khed police. Seven people have been booked in the case, including two excavator operators and two unidentified scooter-borne persons.
The incident took place on Thursday evening as a team led by Khed tehsildar Prashant Bedse travelled from Rajgurunagar towards Pabal to act against illegal excavation and transportation of minor minerals. The team included resident naib tehsildar Chetan More, circle officer Shila Shewale, the concerned village revenue officer and other revenue staff.
According to Shewale’s complaint, the team noticed a Hyva dumper transporting murum near the Khed City area in Nimgaon jurisdiction at around 7 pm. The officials began following the vehicle. Two people on a scooter allegedly came from behind and placed the scooter across the path of the revenue team’s vehicles, temporarily obstructing their movement.
The team continued pursuing the dumper. At around 7.15 pm, on the canal road in Retawadi, the driver allegedly unloaded murum from the vehicle onto the road near the officials’ vehicles. The material blocked the route and prevented the team from proceeding, after which the driver reportedly escaped with the dumper.
The team later reached the Hajarevasti area of Kanersar at around 7.30 pm. The complaint states that officials found two excavators operating in Survey No. 1486, land acquired by the government for the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. When the excavators’ operators noticed the revenue vehicles, they allegedly moved the machines around 200 metres away and fled.
The complaint further states that the officials observed evidence indicating that approximately 2,700 brass of murum had been excavated and removed from the site. Murum, a locally used soil and gravel material, is commonly used in roadwork, land filling and other construction-related activity. The allegation places the reported excavation on land already acquired for an industrial development purpose, bringing both mineral enforcement and public land protection into the case.
The complaint names Ganesh Sahebrao Hajare of Kanersar and Suyog Pandurang Pansare of Pabal, in Shirur taluka. Hajare allegedly told the revenue officials that the excavators belonged to him and that the Hyva dumper belonged to Pansare. The other accused include two unidentified scooter-borne persons, the dumper driver and two excavator operators.
Khed police have registered a case against all seven accused under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The case was filed on the basis of Shewale’s complaint. Police Inspector Subhash Chavan is conducting the further investigation.
