THOOTHUKUDI: A social activist alleged that the sand mafia warned him of dire consequences after he complained about illegal sand mining to the Murappanadu police.
It is suspected a constable at the Murappanadu police station revealed his identity and whereabouts to the mafia after he told the sensitive matter only to a special branch police constable.
The members of the sand mafia visited my house and warned me of dire consequences for informing the police, he said.
The activist said that he had tipped off the police about the illegal transportation of sand and karambai sand from the Kuttaikalkulam tank near the Kailasanathar temple in Murappanadu.
The tank is about 100 metres from the Thamirabarani River and thus has river sand. The sand mafia is removing several hundred loads of sand and karambai sand without proper transport permits. They use single permits for multiple loads, causing huge revenue loss to the state government, he said, while opting to remain anonymous.
These sands are being sold for residential areas in Murappanadu, Keelaputhaneri, Pakkapatti, Vasavappapuram, Alikudi, Anavaradhanallur and Melaputhaneri at `800 per tractor load. They are also used in agricultural lands. Clay is sold to brick kilns illegally, the activist alleged.
“I did not expect the police to reveal my identity along with my mobile number to the mafia. The officials of the departments of revenue as well as geology and mining remain a mute spectator. The officials claim that the police have to initiate action to prevent illegal mining,” he said.
In a petition to Collector Vishu Mahajan during the weekly grievance redressal meeting on Monday, another activist alleged that gravel and other sands have been illegally mined from tanks around Kayathar and are being dumped in residential plots along the Kanniyakumari-Madurai highway.
Despite complaining to officials concerned, no action has been taken and the sand mafia continues to remove sand and charal from the tanks, he alleged. An official of Geology and Mining confirmed that gravel had been illegally mined.
The matter has been referred to the Sub collector for levying penal charges for illegal mining, the official added. The Srivaikuntam-Murrappanadu-Kayathar areas have witnessed several murders over illegal sand mining.
The Murappanadu Village Administrative Officer Lourthu Francis was murdered at the VAO office itself for complaining about illegal mining on April 25, 2023. More than a dozen murders occurred in the past decades along the banks of Thamirabarani over illegal mining.Also, these places are deemed sensitive to issues over caste.
The Madras High Court had pointed out last year that the collusion of officials with the sand mafia threatens the safety of journalists and social activists in Tamil Nadu. A senior police officer promised to look into the issue, the activist added.