Kerala - Kollam   

Public support sought to curb sand-mining

KOLLAM: There should be a people's solidarity to counter the activities of the sand mafia, District Collector S. Lalithambika has said.

She was addressing a meeting of officials and environmentalists convened to discuss steps to be taken to prevent unauthorised sand-mining. The safety threat posed to railway bridges due to sand-mining was also discussed.

People's support was needed to curb the destruction of the environment by vested-interest groups. Those who destroyed the environment should be isolated from society. People should be ready to extend support and help to officers who tried to stop unauthorised sand-mining, Ms. Lalithambika said.

Citing an example, she said dragon flies had become rare. It was nature's check on mosquitoes.

Strong police intervention would be needed to put an end to the activities of sand mafia. The list of authorized sand landing centres would be published, the Collector said.

She sought a ban on sand-mining from lakes. A special squad comprising officers from the Revenue and Police Departments would be constituted to prevent sand-mining from the Padappakara course of the Ashtamudi lake. Action would be taken against those who attacked environment activists, she added.

Environment activists who attended the meeting said mechanised fishing boats were used to ferry sand mined from the Thekkumbhagam-Pallikodi course of the Ashtamudi lake.

The Velliman, Chemmakkad, and Cheruman areas were notorious for unauthorised sand-mining, they added.

Revenue Divisional Officer D. Sajith Babu who attended the meeting said he had sent a proposal to the government seeking three boats for the district administration.

Assistant Conservator of Forests S. Sun, Assistant Commissioner of Police B. Prasannan Nair, and environment activist Odavattam Vijayaprakash attended the meeting.

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