VELLORE: M G R Bullock Cart Workers Welfare Association members, comprising around 50 bullock cart owners were asked to unload the sand and to stop the sand mining in the Palar River on Monday. However, the association members claim to have paid the PWD officials `3000 for sand mining even showing the DD receipts, but police officials asked them to show the permission order to mine sand.
Police added that the river near Thendral Nagar was banned from sand mining and warned the bullock cart owners. Angered bullock cart members petitioned the Collector during Monday’s grievance day meeting . “We depend on the Palar River for our daily livelihood. For last 14 months, we have been petitioning authorities but they haven’t taken any action. The Collector arranged for a meeting between PWD officials and bullock cart members on Monday to solve the problem but claimed their problems were not resolved after the meeting.
M G R Bullock Cart Workers Welfare Association District Secretary S K Sekar said, “We are unhappy with PWD officials. They said, our request has been forwarded to the environmental department, and only after their reply we will allow you to take sand. I don’t know why they are delaying our request.” It might be noted that on July 24, PWD Minister in the State Assembly had said that there was no restriction for bullock cart owners. They could take sand from the quarries by obtaining a proper bill,” the bullock cart owners said in the petition.