The Hindu : 'Sand-mining continues despite ban'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 06, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

'Sand-mining continues despite ban'

By Our Staff Reporter

PATHANAMTHITTA JULY 5 . The Pampa Parirakshana Samithi (PPS), a Kozhencherry-based environmental group that has been campaigning for the cause of the Pampa River over the past one decade, has alleged that illegal sand quarrying is continuing unabated in Pampa and its tributaries, in violation of the Collector's ban imposed on river sand-mining in the district from July 1.

Addressing a meeting of environmentalists, who have been nominated to 35 `kadavu' committees in the district at Ranni, on Thursday, the PPS general secretary, N.K. Sukumaran Nair, said illegal quarrying of river sand was continuing in different parts of the district allegedly with the connivance of certain official quarters and local body authorities.

He said the district administration should take effective steps for strict enforcement of the Kerala River Bank Protection and Sand Mining Regulation Act. Delivering the keynote address, the Thiruvalla RDO, P.G. Thomas, suggested holding of awareness campaigns among the workers in the sand-quarrying sector to make them aware of the ill-effects of the over-exploitation of the river systems.

Mr. Thomas said the district-level expert committee as well as the Kadavu committees were constituted to facilitate the effective enforcement of the Kerala River Bank Protection and Sand Mining Act, 2001.

The meeting condemned the reported attacks on various eco-group activists by the hirelings of the sand mafia in different parts of the district. It also urged law- enforcing agencies to take immediate steps to check the unlawful activities on the riverbeds in the district.

The PPS organising secretary, V.K. Rajagopal, the secretary, Bensi Mathew, the Manimalayar Samrakshana Samithi general secretary, V.N. Gopinatha Pillai, and P.B. Suneeshkumar also addressed the meeting.

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'Sand-mining continues despite ban'