Taking serious note of reports of alleged involvement of some officials in allowing trucks to carry more quantity of sand than what is permissible, Deputy Commissioner Umesh H. Kusugal said on Monday that any official found guilty of such activities will be suspended.
The district administration seized more than 100 overloaded sand-laden trucks in the last five days. Surprisingly, all the overloaded trucks had originated from the sand stockyards, where officials of the Public Works Department are to monitor the loading of sand. The district administration has imposed penalty on the truck seized. The truck-owners, however, have contended that they were carrying whatever the quantity that had been loaded on to their vehicles at the stocking point.
Mr. Kusugal told presspersons that he was aware of reports of alleged involvement of officials in overloading.
“I have sought reports from the Public Works Department and the officials of Mines and Geology Department, who were responsible for the alleged overloading. Stern action will be initiated against all those involved,” he said.
The district administration had also found truck-owners carrying two or three loads of sand against one permit issued by the PWD. Raman Gupta, Superintendent of Police, told presspersons that his staff was keeping a tab on the movement of trucks and imposing penalty of up to Rs. 25,000 a trip for overloading. “We have imposed penalties totalling to about Rs. 50 lakh on nearly 150 trucks. Notices demanding penalty have been served and some have also paid it,” he said.
Mr. Kusugal said, he would depute his staff, whenever the officials of the Revenue or Mines and Geology departments conduct raids to check illegal sand extraction. “We have told the officials to provide us advance information about raids so that adequate police staff could be depute policemen to assist the officials,” he said.
