Ongole: Farmers obstruct sand transport to Hyderabad

Ongole: The locals at the Motupalli village obstructed the vehicles transporting sand and handed over them to the police on Thursday night. They alleged that the police have helped to leave the main accused, an excavator from the spot but managed to seize a few other vehicles on pressure from the public.

According to Yallamandareddy and other villagers from Kothapalem, Motupalli, and other surrounding villages in the Chinaganjam mandal, they are complaining to the police and other officials about the illegal sand mining in the neighbourhood for a long time, but there is no response from the officials.

They said that Amanchi Srinivasa Rao alias Swamulu, brother of former Chirala MLA Amanchi Krishna Mohan is the behind transporting the sand to various districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by excavating even in the nights during the lockdown.

They claimed that they observed Swamulu and others at the quarry and stopped the vehicles transporting the sand and informed Inkollu CI Rambabu for action.

They alleged that the CI and SI, who came to the spot have helped Swamulu and his excavator to leave the place but seized the lorries and tractors on the spot.

They demanded the government to take action on the Amanchi Krishna Mohan family, who are allegedly behind the sand mafia and save them from suffering from water scarcity.

Chirala DSP Y Jayarama Subbareddy told The Hans India that upon receiving information from the public, the Inkollu CI stopped sand transporting lorries at the check post and reached the quarry and seized the vehicles loaded with the sand.

He said the people mining the sand claimed to have the permit, but it is not allowed to mine in the night. He said the police and mining officials were conducting individual enquiries on the issue and will take action on the people involved, based on the evidence.