A mobile court during a day-long drive on Tuesday closed several roads for movement of trucks to 24 sand ghats (collection centres) beside the Jamuna River in Bhuapur upazila under the district.

The court also jailed a sand trader for six months and fined him Tk 50,000 for lifting sand illegally.

"Amid complaints of illegal sand lifting on the banks of the Jamuna River in Bhuapur upazila,

the mobile court launched the drive to check possible damage of the Bangabandhu Bridge and the nearby cantonment," said Mohammad Kaiser Khasru, executive magistrate of the mobile court.

During the drive, a sand trader was awarded jail for six months and fine of Tk 50,000 for lifting sand illegally, he added.

Despite conducting drives by mobile courts on several occasions earlier, influential sand traders

have continued illegal sand lifting at Pati Chapra, Bali Ghat, Nengra Bazar, Mati Kata, Jikatala and Sirajkandi in the upazila, said sources in district administration.

Influential sand traders having political clout have been doing the illegal sand business very close to Bangabandhu Bridge for long, locals said, adding that groups of the sand traders engaged in clashes on different occasions over occupying the sand lifting stations.