BENGALURU: Home Minister G Parameshwara admitted in the Assembly on Tuesday that many big people from across political parties are involved in illegal sand mining, but he expressed his helplessness in curbing the menace. “Illegal sand mining is a big racket.
I am not giving any explanation or naming anyone, as it is a little embarrassing. I have given only a restricted answer, but it involves many influential people. I will call a meeting to discuss the issue,” he said.
Devadurga JDS MLA Karemma raised the issue during the question hour. “There have been many cases of illegal sand mining, matka, gambling and thefts in Raichur district.
Sand is mined from the Krishna river basin continuously at night. Farmers complain that because of sand mining, dust settles on their crop and damages it. The special task force has remained only in name.
There are no CCTV cameras or registries at checkposts to monitor the movement of these vehicles, which have caused many deaths on the road.”
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Karemma said whenever she goes out on officials visits, vehicles follow her and their occupants issue threats to her. “Bids have been called for extracting sand, but they have not been opened yet. Many big sharks involved in this big money-spinning racket don’t want sand extraction legalised. If contracts are awarded, the money will go to the state government, and they will lose their earnings,” she alleged. Joining her, many MLAs demanded security to elected representatives.
On the threat Karemma is facing, Speaker UT Khader said the jurisdictional police should be held responsible. To this, she said sarcastically, “Those who came to my house held a press conference, and the police provided them security... Tippers and lorries used in sand transportation normally don’t have number plates, and if they run over some one, these vehicles cannot be traced.”
Parameshwara assured her safety and said it holds good for all elected representatives. “Illegal sand mining is not limited to Devadurga, but is prevalent across the state. It is the responsibility of the mines and geology department, which has laws to deal with the problem. In the last three years, 440 cases have been registered in Devadurga, but the extraction could be far higher.
The sand task force has been constituted especially to deal with this, but there could be lapses from them too. In the last three years, 31 people have been externed from the district for illegal mining. It cannot be stopped in one day,” he added. Former law minister and BJP MLA Suresh Kumar said no one is bigger than law and the state government should take action.