Collector A. Annadurai has directed revenue and police officials in Pattukottai block to take up patrolling near water bodies in the area in order to check illegal sand quarrying and initiate action against those indulging in such activities.
The directions from the Collector come as a sequel to a surprise inspection made by him on the Agniyar river bed on Monday evening following a spate of petitions on illegal sand quarrying in Pattukottai block.
The petitioners claimed that plundering of natural wealth from the Agniyar river bed was being carried out openly at Maliyakadu, Thokkalikadu and Magizhankottai hamlets. Hundreds of bullock carts were engaged for the illegal activity. The sand was transferred to ‘collection points’ on the outskirts of the villages from where they were loaded in goods carriers and transported to far off places.
The Collector decided to inspect the sites on Agniyar river bed to ascertain the veracity of the complaints. Subsequently, he along with Superintendent of Police S.S. Maheswaran drove to the Agniyar river bed in the three villages on Monday evening where he found traces of illegal sand quarrying activity.
Mr. Annadurai directed revenue and police officials to check the illegal activity by intensifying patrolling and initiating stern legal action against those indulging in it.
Bullock cart owners’plea
However, a team of bullock cart owners led by CPI(M) Thanjavur district committee member and advocate V. Karuppaiah had met Peravurani tahsildar K. Jayalakshmi and presented a memorandum a week ago. The petition sought protection for bullock cart owners transporting river sand from the highhandedness of the local police.
It claimed that due to failure of agriculture operations in Peravurani region for the last four years, they had switched over to supply of river sand to the construction sector.
The petitioners, numbering around 50, said they transported sand from the Kattaru early morning and deposit them at ‘construction sites’. Of late, the local police intercepted and deflated the tyres and seized the equipment used for scooping out sand. Thus, their livelihood had been jeopardised.
CITU Thanjavur district secretary C.Jayabal had also issued a statement urging the police to restrain from foisting false cases on the hapless workers who were already suffering from unemployment.
The government should set up a separate sand quarry for bullock cart owners to help them sustain their livelihood, he said.
