Bantwal: Illegal sand mining in river - two mechanized boats, two tippers seized

Pic: Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, Apr 13: Officials of the district department of mines and geology, who found out that illegal mining of sand was going on near the areca nut plantation of a person near Thumbe dam in the taluk, raided the spot and confiscated two mechanized boats and two tippers.

It is learnt that Arif from Mysore and Manoj Shetty from Karkala had succeeded in convincing the locals that they had obtained permission for sand mining from the district deputy commissioner. It is believed that Gopalraj and Adi from Mysore, who have bagged the sub-contract for the construction of second dam at Thumbe from the original contractors, AMR Project, were hand in glove with the illegal sand mining activity.

In tune with the advice of the state High Court that mechanized sand mining adversely affects the fish species, it had been banned  as per the order published in the state gazette. Illegal mining continues unabated at various places in the district, people complain. It is said that some locals had brought this to the notice of the district deputy commissioner, Harsh Guptha, as a result of which the raid was conducted.

The confiscated items include some mechanical equipment, iron pipes, and others. The locals said two mechanized boats were found regularly moored below a huge tree at Talapady in a way that they could not be sighted easily. A huge pit was dug inside the plantation, to which an iron sieve for sifting sand mixed with water which got pumped therein, was fitted.

Some say that the sand collected here was also transported to Bangalore in plastic packs. Two mechanized boats as well as the two tippers now confiscated were brought to the compound of the town police station here, it is learnt.