Hanur (Chamarajanagar district) | Sept 08, 2015: Unabated sand mining near Uduthorehalla dam, under Sooleri Palya Gram Panchayat, has drawn flak from locals.

Sand is being extracted around 100 mts area of the dam since two years and transported illegally, right under the nose of the authorities concerned, they complained.

As the dam is on the fringes of the forest, sand mining continues unabatedly without any fear. Several complaints by the residents of the villages to the police has not yielded any results. The Police Department too has failed in curbing the illegal sand mining in the region, they alleged.

The farmers alleged that sand mining will affect the underground water table. There are more than 30 kilns (brick making units) at Ajjipura, Dommanagadde, Nagannagar, Basappana Doddi and surrounding areas and more than 20 tractor loads of sand are transported to these units every day. The locals urged that a district-level team of officials be sent to the village to assess the situation and take necessary steps to curb illegal sand mining.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Special Tahsildar G Mahesh said the illegal sand mining has been brought to his notice. “As illegal activities take place during night, the police inspector has been asked to submit a report. Future course of action will be taken after the report is submitted,” he added.

(Source: http://www.deccanherald.com/)