VILLUPURAM: Two days after a 35-year-old activist informed a regional newspaper about illegal sand mining allegedly underway at a government sand mine in Thiruvennainallur taluk of Villupuram, the person came under attack on Sunday.
According to sources, M Raja is a resident of Yenathimangalam village where a government sand mine was set up along the Thenpennai in 2019. Ever since villagers have been staging protests alleging rampant sand mining beyond the permitted limit. On Friday, Raja told a newspaper that illegal sand mining was rampant in the government sand mine.
Talking to TNIE on Sunday, Raja said, “After the news was published, former panchayat president’s husband M Ganesan and his four brothers from Yenathimangalam threatened me for talking to the press.
Today morning when I was crossing a road, a group of men picked up an argument with me in this regard. They assaulted me for exposing the illegal activity to the media. Ganesan’s family is involved in politics and its members are in several major parties. They continue their activities not bothering about anything.”
Saying that sand can be mined only up to three feet across 25 acres in Thenpennai river, Raja claimed sand has already been scooped out from 250 acres. If the government carries out an examination, this can be proved, Raja added.
When TNIE visited the Thenpennai at Yenathimangalam where a railway bridge, a check dam and an overhead bridge exist, it found soil erosion to over 15 feet near the basement of the railway bridge.