INTER-STATE BORDERS: There is rampant illegal sand mining going on in areas through which Rivers Penganga, Pranahitha and Godavari flow. Village gram panchayats are complicit in the illegality, where 100 times more than permitted quantities of sand are being excavated and sold.
A result of such mining is that groundwater levels in surrounding areas have gone down.
There are reports that even people from Maharashtra are mining sand illegally from the bordering areas of the erstwhile Adilabad district. A bike rider of Masala village lost his life after a sand-laden lorry ran over him.
Illegal sand mining has emerged as a lucrative business to make huge profits. Even Village Development Committees (VDCs) are encouraging such mining. In the name of getting revenue for development of the village, they auction sand mines in an area for a period of six months. But with lakhs of rupees exchanging hands, illegal mining goes on even after expiry of this period.
Members of VDCs are not bothered about water table in their areas falling, leading to drinking water shortage.
Currently, summer conditions and low flow of water in rivers and rivulets has come in handy for miscreant to lift sand and transport it illegally. From one such point of River Penganga in Adilabad district near the inter-state bridge between Maharashtra Telangana, tractors could be seen making 150 trips every day taking away sand.
Similar mining is going on along River Penganga in Bheempur, Tamsi, Bela and Jainad mandals. The same is the case with Rivers Pranahitha and Godavari flowing through Komaram Bheem Asifabad and Mancherial districts.
There is no curb on illegal sand mining as it is going on with support of local political leaders, revenue and police officials. Sand businessmen bribe them all, so that they can run their business smoothly.
Known sand mining points are Dollara, Sangi, Anandpur, Pendalwada, Mankapur, Sangidi, Koddur, Karanji and Gomutri on banks of River Penganga in Adilabad district.
Incidentally, Sangidi grama panchayat got ₹ 60 lakh through an auction for sand mining, while Dollara received ₹ 52 lakh, Sangi-Pendalwada ₹ 16 lakh and Anandpur ₹ 25 lakh. In most cases, the period for permitting sand mining is only six months. But mining goes on beyond this period.
The same is the case with sand mining in Chennur, Kotapalli, Vemanpalli and Luxettipet in Mancherial district and Kautala, Bejjur, Penchikalpet and Dagegoam mandals in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.
