Jan Sangram Parishat (JSP) staged a protest outside the office of Deputy Commissioner here on Tuesday against illegal sand extraction along Tungabhadra and Krishna riverbeds in the district.
They raised slogans against sand miners and corrupt officers who they said were hand in glove with the miners and demanded the district administration take stringent action against them.
"The duty of the police and revenue departments does not end with the seizure a few cubic meters of illegally extracted sand. Criminal cases should be filed against the offenders apart from seizing machines, vehicles and equipment used for illegal extraction and transportation of sand. What prevents the officers from booking miners for illegally plundering natural resources?" asked Raghavendra Kushtagi, state working president of the organisation.
The Revenue, Mines and Geology, Public Works and Police departments have completely failed to protect natural resources, even as the officials of these departments facilitate the illegal activity, he alleged.
Their demands included booking criminal cases against illegal sand miners as well as government officials who allowed illegal mining, a CBI enquiry into the illegal sand mining in Deodurg taluk and transferring officials in Public Works Department who were allegedly helping the illegal sand miners and others. (eom)
