Crackdown on sand-mining

Revenue officials on Tuesday launched a crackdown on illegal sand-mining from Vellayani Lake. In a day-long operation, a team led by Sub-Collector K. Biju seized eight country boats used by sand-miners and registered cases against the boat owners and workers involved in sand-mining. Expert divers, cranes and a speed boat belonging to the KTDC were pressed into service to identify the country boats that the sand-miners had submerged to avoid detection.According to Mr. Biju, the district administration had received information that 16 boats were involved in unauthorised sand-mining from the lake bed. "The miners usually sink their boats whenever there is a threat of a crackdown by the authorities. They do this by loading the boats with sand and water as ballast. No floats or markers are used to indicate the coordinates. Once the threat is over, they retrieve the boats and continue their work. We are trying to identify the location of the remaining boats. The operation will continue for the next few days."Local people and mass organisations campaigning for the protection of the lake offered support to the revenue officials. A large crowd turned up at the Kakkamoola bund from where the operation was launched. A police team was also deployed. Traffic along the route had to be diverted. Mr. Biju said the team did not have to face any resistance. "The sand-miners and boat owners had fled the area ever since we stepped up night patrolling along the boundary of the lake in the wake of the death of a teenager due to drowning on Sunday. We have registered cases against them on the basis of reports from officials."While seven of the boats were seized from the banks of the lake near Kakkamoola, one was recovered from Kulangara on the opposite side. "Earlier, an operation like this would have faced organised resistance from the sand-mining mafia. Thanks to the work of committed NGOs, the public have realised the need to oppose the illegal activity," said Rufus Daniel, chairman of the Vellayani Kayal Samrakshana Samithi which has been spearheading a sustained campaign to protect the lake. The Ombudsman for Local Self Government Institutions had on Monday directed the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and the Venganoor and Kalliyoor grama panchayats to ensure that sand-mining is not allowed from the lake.

The Hindu, 5^th November 2008