Karnataka   

Sand quarries turn death traps for workers

CHICKABALLAPUR: Many deaths that have occurred at illegal sand quarries in Gauribidanur taluk of Chickaballapur district have been reportedly hushed up, thanks to a nexus among the sand mafia, the police, local politicians and unscrupulous leaders of some organisations.

While the police have registered a case in regard to the death of two workers at a sand quarry at Halaganahalli on Monday, nearly 20 such deaths that have occurred in the past few years seem to have gone unreported.

The details of the alleged nexus in hushing up of the deaths were revealed to The Hindu on Monday by farmers, environment activists, the local MLA and some policemen from Gauribidanur taluk.

According to farmers, as people extract sand from pits as deep as 150 feet, workers get buried alive whenever the earth caves in. Whenever such deaths occur, those in charge of the quarries allegedly bribe the police and pay money to the kin of the victims, with the help of local politicians and, ensure that a case is not registered.

Concurring fully with the farmers, the third-time MLA for Gauribidanur N.H. Shivashankar Reddy told The Hindu that such deaths had been hushed up in the past. As workers involved in sand extraction are from far-off places, their families do not file any complaints and keep quiet after accepting some compensation paid by the “network” comprising sand miners, the police and local leaders, he said.

Environment activist D.A. Chowdappa said such incidents had reportedly taken place at sand quarries in Shambukanagar, near Halaganahalli, and Madanahalli, off Bangalore Road.

Farmers said a majority of those who work in sand quarries are the Dalits. Some unscrupulous leaders from Dalit organisations brokered a deal between the victims’ families and sand miners.

Incidentally, the two workers who died on Monday were Dalits. However, sources in the police said that chances of deaths going unreported were rare.

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