Illegal sand transport at night rampant in Srikakulam district

Srikakulam: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched the free sand policy with an aim to provide sand to all sections of people in a hassle-free manner.

But it was found that acting against the set rules, sand is being shifted illegally during nights through lorries to Visakhapatnam from the sand reaches of Nagavali and Vamsadhara rivers located in Srikakulam, Amadalavalasa and Narasannapeta Assembly constituencies.

Cost of each lorry of sand is Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000 in Visakhapatnam city bassed on the location and distance at various parts of the city. Every day during nights, about 500 lorries of sand is being shifted to Visakhapatnam from Srikakulam with active connivance of the officials concerned.

Four major violations are being witnessed in sand mining and shifting. First violation is excavating sand through earthmovers which is against environmental norms, second is shifting of sand during nights, third is selling the sand in Visakhapatnam for a huge price and fourth is loading the sand by violating safety and road transport norms.

Officials of all the departments concerned are well aware about these four major violations but they are allegedly being managed by the sand traders. Thus the officials are remaining silent spectators.

Due to lack of inspections of sand reaches by officials, indiscriminate sand mining is going on at different reaches in Nagavali and Vamsadhara rivers.

Locals complain that though check-posts have been arranged at district borders, the staff deployed at these check-posts have been ineffective.