Illegal sand mining: Police step up surveillance along banks of Chaliyar river

The police have stepped up night patrols and begun frequent flash inspections along the banks of the Chaliyar river to curb the illegal sand mining and secret trade in the area. The action follows the impounding of a few boats and goods-carriers used to transport the illegally extracted sand from the vulnerable stretches of the riverbank.

Police sources say plainclothesmen have been deployed to keep a close watch on the illegal access points, while support from local informants will be sought to track the movement of hired migrant labourers and goods carriers involved in the illicit trade. With the support of local administrators, plans are also underway to close all illegally made access routes to the river.

Mavoor grama panchayat officials confirm that the revival of ward-level committees comprising environmental activists and local residents to ensure sustained protection of the riverbank is also under active consideration. According to them, the intervention of Revenue department squads is equally important to support the cause.

Efforts go in vain

“What we need now is to close all the illegally created access points to the river. There were efforts on the part of the local administrators to identify and block several such points, but the labourers hired for the illegal activity were found destroying all such preventive barriers,” says a local environmental activist from Mavoor panchayat. He points out that the Revenue department has a bigger role to examine such complaints and find a solution.

According to a former local body member from the area, strong concrete pillars should be constructed to restrict the access for goods-carriers to the river bank. He also demands an investigation into the role of some of the local gangs engaged in persuading local landowners to work in favour of the sand miners’ groups for commission.

“The re-entry of sand miners’ groups even from neighbouring districts was noticed during the local body election time when the panchayat level squads were not actively functioning. If the police are now ready to impound all the illegally operated boats, the illegal trade will definitely come to an end,” says M.P. Vishnu, a local tourism entrepreneur. He feels that there should be an intensified checking on the road too for preventing the local trade of illegally collected river sand.