Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Dec 6: Sand mafia has been tightening its grip all over the district. People are facing miseries because of unregulated and illegal sand mining taking place on river banks by the mafia in various places including Hattiangady, Herikudru, Balkur, Kandlur, Basrur and such other places in the taluk.

One of the problems created by sand mining is erosion of valuable agricultural and other land which slowly and steady gets gobbled up by surging rivers. Alleging that several villagers have lost their land in this manner, people of Hattikudru had complained to the deputy commissioner (DC) of the district about this menace.

The DC had responded to this petition promptly by directing the department of mines and geology to take stock of the situation and initiate necessary action. However, the people are increasingly becoming suspicious that officials of this department have joined hands with the mafia because during the lat 15 months, illegal mining has grown by leaps and bounds instead of being regulated, with the opening of several approaches to the rivers and mining of sand there. The people have since complained to the police about the fact that labourers from Uttar Pradesh are now being hired for conducting sand mining in depths of the rivers by using boats,nets and ladders.

In response to the complaint, police sub-inspector of the station here,Nassir Hussain, summoned representatives of both the sides to the police station and had a dialogue with them. He sent the concerned back with a warning that locals alone should get engaged in sand mining, and that nets and ladders should not be used for the purpose. Krishna Poojary, Ratnakar Poojary, Sesu Poojary, Ravi Poojary, Shankar Poojary, Narayana Poojary, Shekhar Poojary,and Babu Poojary were among those who represented the villagers.

A local, Krishna Poojary, explained that sand mafia has of late been using dangerous ways to increase their income by resorting to deep water sand mining by using nets, ladders, etc. He said this process expands the river base, as a result of which lands of locals get submerged in river water. He said that the villagers have decided to undertake massive protests if the mafia does not stop using non-traditional methods of mining like the above.