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Surprise checks blow the cover

Surprise checks carried out under the supervision of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau at the Kozhikode Collectorate on Monday and Tuesday revealed that a sand-mining mafia is operating at the highest Government office in the district. Vigilance sleuths say that the mafia is having links right from the clerical departments to senior officials.

It has been flourishing in the district since 2002 despite a curb on the sand mining activities on the ecologically sensitive banks of rivers and lakes in Kozhikode. Between June 2002 and July 2005, only 270 cases of unauthorised sand mining have been registered. It has been revealed that innumerable cases had not been registered. And, the penalty imposed on the seized vehicles range from the Rs.25,000 to Rs. 500, giving an impression that no norms had been applied, Vigilance officials say. Normally, any vehicle transporting sand illegally mined had to be seized. But in most cases the vehicles were released. In fact, Vigilance officials initiated the surprise checks after the District Collector Rachna Shah cancelled an order that had been earlier issued by the district administration to release a vehicle seized by the Vadakara police two weeks ago.

BIJU GOVIND

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