Date | April 10, 2017

Even as the Thane Collector has initiated one of the biggest operations in recent times against sand mining in and around Thane and Kalyan creek, an activist who has been crusading against the mining mafia has written to the Chief Minister. She states that not only are officials vulnerable to attacks due to lack of security measures but also it was high time to start using technology to crack down on sand mining.

Environmentalist Sumaira Abdulali along with Thane Collector Mahendra Kalayankar and other officials, on Saturday, surveyed the anti-mining drives carried out along Thane creek. In a letter to the state, they have urged it to implement policies using modern technologies to track extraction, transport and end-use of the sand.

"We request the state to take action to disclose the quantities and projected sources of all raw material requirements for infrastructure and building projects, and to set up a mechanism to track raw materials right from the planning to execution stage of all building projects. Also, an action plan should be made to conduct raids and control the sand mafia, and it should include measures for the safety of officers. A specially trained environmental police force to patrol these areas should also be considered," she said in her letter.

Abdulali, who has been taking on the sand mining mafia in the Raigad area, and even having been brutally attacked on several occasions, said that the raids and drives can keep going but these will not be a long-term solution to the problem as despite so much attention on sand mining it was being carried out all over the state, and most of the sand being mined around Thane and Raigad was being supplied for illegal construction. "Sand mining has a huge impact on environment issues, and also involves safety of people as continuous mining around bridges along rivers and creeks can weaken the structure and throw a risk of accidents," she warned.

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