Revenue officials have seized a tipper lorry transporting illegally mined sand from Thenpennaiyar to Tamil Nadu. A special squad of the Revenue Department intercepted the vehicle at Kirumampakkam and handed it over to the police, said Deputy Collector N. Udayakumar.
He said the department had identified Soriankuppam and Kurivinatham as places vulnerable to illegal mining of sand from Thenpennaiyar. Similarly, certain pockets at Odianpet, Kuruvinatham, Pilliyarkuppam and Manalipet on the banks of Sankaraparani river have also been found vulnerable to illegal mining, he said.
“We have already stepped up vigil in these areas and more action would be initiated in the coming days. Sand mining is banned and we will take stern action against those violating the rules,” he said.
The department had imposed 144 in some of these areas a few months ago after illegal sand mining became rampant.
