The district administration will intensify vigil against illegal sand-mining following the seizure of 39 loads of sand from the Ayyappancoil region of the Periyar in the Idukki reservoir on Sunday.
The raid was conducted by a team of revenue officials led by Devikulam Sub-Collector M.Rajamanikyam. Two cases had been registered against 50 persons for preventing officials from delivering duty and for pelting stones at two lorries called for moving the seized sand.
Illegal sand-mining on a large scale was going on in the area for some time and this was the second raid conducted by the revenue officials.
In the earlier occasion too, anti-social elements tried to prevent the officials and the raid on Sunday was conducted with the help of a police team led by Kattappana DySP and armed police of the Idukki reserve camp. The team destroyed five country boats engaged in sand-mining.
District Collector M.C. Mohandas told The Hindu on Monday that the raid would be intensified at Anakkara and the reservoir areas in addition to a few other spots from where illegal sand-mining had been reported.
The raids would be conducted with the support of the police and two check-posts would be set up at Ayyappancoil to prevent sand-mining during night.
A top police official said a combined team of the police and revenue officials would monitor areas where the sand lobby thrived with political nexus.
