Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

74 lorries seized, owners to be fined

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Revenue officials, assisted by the police, carried out raids in various parts of the district on Saturday, in a heavy crackdown on illegal sand-mining, quarrying and reclamation of paddy fields.

Officials seized 74 lorries, six country boats and three earth movers used to collect and transport sand from river beds, lakes and fields. Hundreds of loads of sand dumped at illegal transit points were confiscated and auctioned, yielding a revenue of Rs.4.43 lakh.

As many as 133 cases were registered under the provisions of the Kerala Land Use Act and the River Protection Act.

The day-long operation which started at the crack of dawn involved Tahsildars, Village Officers and other Revenue officials.

The raids were carried out in the Thiruvananthapuram, Nedumangad, Neyyatinkara and Chirayinkeezh taluks.

In Thiruvananthapuram taluk, raids were carried out at Killipalam, Karamana, Vellayani, Kakkamoola, Thiruvallam, Thrikkannapuram, Karichira, Kadhinamkulam, Chakka and Channankara. Officials seized 64 lorries used to transport sand. Tahsildar Krishnakumar said fines would be levied from the lorry owners. A sum of Rs.2.5 lakh was collected from the auction of 251 loads of sand that were confiscated from various places. Three boats were seized from Karicharakadavu and Pallipuram.

In Nedumangad taluk, three earth movers were seized from Puthukulangara, Vengavila and Panavoor. Officials said three lorries found ferrying sand, rock and soil without records were impounded from Mannoorkonam, Kurupuzha and Palode. The vehicles were shifted to the Palode police station and the taluk office.

Four heavy duty pump sets used to drain water from sand pits and clean the collected sand were also seized from Pangode, Vithura and Panavoor. Six loads of sand were auctioned.

Tahsildar K. Adeenal who led the operation said action was being initiated against land owners for reclamation of paddy fields.

The Kerala Land Use Act will be invoked for the purpose, she added.

The raids in the Neyyatinkara taluk were mostly at 10 locations along the banks of the Neyyar downstream of Chembarathivila.

Three boats were seized and 45 loads of sand auctioned. Two lorries carrying rock were also impounded. Tahsildar Sivananda Swamy Nadir and Additional Tahsildar Omana led the raid.

The two squads involved in the raids in the Chirayinkeezh taluk came across illegal sand-mining from the Vamanapuram river and Kadhinamkulam lake.

Five lorries transporting rock and sand were impounded and 71 loads of sand confiscated and auctioned off for Rs.99,000. Tahsildar Madhu Gangadharan led the operation.

Additional District Magistrate Sivasankaran Nair and Revenue Divisional Officer P. Manikantan coordinated the squads.

District Collector N. Ayyappan said the raids were organised on the basis of directions issued by Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran. He said the operation would be intensified and extended to more areas in the coming days.

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