The district administration will open 20 road checkposts on inter-district and inter-State borders to check transportation of sand beyond the district.
Chairing a District Sand Monitoring Committee meeting here on Thursday, Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil said 12 checkposts would come on roads on the Karnataka-Kerala border and eight on inter-district borders.
He said the district administration would make a provision for dumping yards to stock seized sand and vehicles and provide protection for them. Mr. Senthil said cases would be booked under the amended mineral rules for illegal transportation of sand.
Vehicles involved in illegal sand transportation will be seized. If their owners want to get them released, they will have to furnish double the amount of vehicle value as bank guarantee at the court concerned, he said.
Sand blocks
Mr. Senthil said the authorities identified several sand blocks spread over 81 acres in different rivers in the non-Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)area.
Three blocks have been identified in the Netravathi, two in Phalguni, one in Gundya, and seven in Kumaradhara. He directed the Mines and Geology Department to immediately call tenders for allocating the blocks and distributing them for sand extraction.
Meanwhile, the DC said, 41 persons have been given permits to extract sand from rivers in the CRZ area, and they have been asked to follow the guidelines strictly.
GPS installation
Mr. Senthil said tenders have already been invited for procuring GPS equipment to be fixed on sand block and boats engaged in sand extraction. Selected bidders would have to supply the equipment within a fortnight after the work order is issued, he said.
Also, sand transporting trucks will have to sport a ‘Sand Vehicle’ sticker even as colour coding will be implemented for boats and blocks, the DC said.
