Date:03/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/03/stories/2008050356730300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

16 sand mining sites raided

Staff Reporter

SANGAREDDY: The divisional revenue officers have raided and destroyed sixteen illegal sand mining sites in the last two days. Sand filtering equipment used to segregate sand from red soil have been recovered and damaged in Bayatole tanda, Arutla and nearby villages.

Revenue Inspector Ramulu who lead the operation told The Hindu that the operators were doing irreparable damage to the local ecology as the Andhra Pradesh Water Land and Trees Act prohibits mining near streams and 500 meters within any structures.