Sand mining case takes interesting twist

Speaking to ‘The Hindu’ Mines and Geology Assistant Director V. Koteswara Raju said that all 144 lorries and seven proclainers were booked under Mining Act, A.P. Walta Act and also under theft of government property.

Only 92 cases booked out of 144 vehicles seized

Even as the police and the revenue officials claimed that 144 lorries and seven earth moving machines (proclainers) were seized for illegal sand mining in Krishna river over a couple of days ago, the police booked cases only on 92 lorries and four proclainers, raising many eyebrows.

At a press conference here on Saturday, Avanigadda Deputy Superintendent of Police K. Chamundeswari said that the police along with Revenue and Mines and Geology Department officials intercepted 144 lorries and seven earth moving machines, which resorted to illegal sand mining from the river at Papavinasanam village.

“During night patrolling, we found that several lorries were transporting sand illegally. We alerted the Mines and Geology, Revenue and other officials concerned immediately and seized the vehicles”, said the DSP.

But, on the next day, the police lessened the number of cases booked to 92 contrary to the Mines and Geology Department officials claim of seizing 144 lorries and seven proclainers.

Speaking to ‘The Hindu’ Mines and Geology Assistant Director V. Koteswara Raju said that all 144 lorries and seven proclainers were booked under Mining Act, A.P. Walta Act and also under theft of government property.

When contacted, Superintendent of Police R. Jayalakshmi, said that the police booked cases only against those vehicles which were transporting sand illegally. “The cases were booked based on the complaint from revenue officials and we found only 92 were violating the norms,” she clarified.

However, the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) authorities said that the Government gave permission for the APMDC for quarrying which expired on June 16. The APMDC officials clarified that no contractor or vehicle was having permission for sand mining from Krishna river.

Meanwhile, rumours were agog that some officials ‘succumbed’ to the political pressures and ‘set free’ some of the accused in the case. Interestingly, the Irrigation department which participated in the raids has not responded in the case till date.