Illegal sand mining goes on unchecked as officials look other way

Narayanpet: Illegal sand mining by mafia is going on unabated in Narayanpet district in spite of strict instructions and directions by the district Collector and Superintendent of police (SP) to the Revenue and Mining department officials to take strict action against the violators of illegal sand mining in the district.

Particularly, in Marikal mandal of Narayanpet district, the sand mafia is doing brisk business having no fear of the Revenue, Mining or the police department officials. This clearly tells volumes that the officials are going blind folded and overlooking the complaints as they are hand in glove with the illegal sand miners for kickbacks and bribes.

According to Diddi Praveen Kumar, a social worker, even though clear instructions from the district collector and SP to the Revenue and police not a single case has been booked in Marikal mandal against the illegal sand miners. Every day hundreds of tippers and tractors are freely moving on the roads transporting huge loads of sand.

"The police and Revenue officials are overlooking the sand mafia activities as they have taken kickbacks from them. Every police station has their monthly 'mamools' from the sand mafia for turning a blind eye on sand transportation. Even if in case any police officials stops the trucks and tractors, the sand mafia will grease their hands with instant money to temporarily relieve them and moving scot free doing illegal business freely and plundering crores of valuable public resources," said Praveen Kumar.

It is also learnt that the local politicians are also backing the sand mafia because of which the police and revenue officials are overlooking the illegal activities of sand miners in the district.

During the past one week more than 10 tractors and a few tipper trucks were illegally mining sand from Manne Vagu in Yekalspur gate village. From there the sand mafia is transporting the sand through Rampurigate, Kanmanoor, Appampally, Undyala and other villages.

The revenue and police officials in spite of knowing all the illegal activities are keeping quiet, which clearly tells that they are hand in glove with the sand mafia.