THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2024
ASMITA POLJI &
CLINTON D SOUZA
PERNEM: Bordered by the Tiracol River to the north and the River Chapora to the South, Pernem taluka has become a hot spot for illegal sand extraction, with thousands of cubic metres of sand looted from these river banks each night.
While locals worry that the rampant and continuous mining of the past decade has permanently mutilated the riverine ecosystem, repeated complaints to government authorities have fallen on deaf ears, and the flying squads assembled for the purpose of nabbing sand burglars turn up empty-handed with ill-timed raids.
Farmers from the area are convinced of a nexus between the local authorities and the sand mafia and claim that sand extraction at the Tiracol River basin is carried out under the nose of the coastal police, between midnight and sunrise.
“Sand extraction with heavy equipment is carried out late at night, until the early morning, but even after informing them, the concerned authorities have failed to take action. The government departments are well aware of the ongoing sand mining, but turn a blind eye towards it,” said a local, Uday Mahale.
He recollected an incident when the villagers from Ugvem, witnessed around 50 to 60 canoes carrying extracted sand from the stretch between Ugvem and Porascadem on the Tiracol River. “When we locals tried to stop the canoes, the labourers tried to attack us with the equipment they were carrying in the canoes,” said Mahale.
“Half-an-hour later, when the police arrived at the spot, we showed them at least 20 canoes loaded with sand. However, the police did not act, stating that it was not their jurisdiction, but that of the coastal police,” he said.
As per directions from the High Court, the authorities were supposed to install CCTV cameras at these sites. To date, not a single camera has been installed,” added Mahale.
Even during the pandemic-related lockdown in 2020, when the movement of people and vehicles was heavily restricted, sand extraction in Pernem continued unabated, say locals. The villagers claim that local authorities receive kickbacks from the sand mafia to look the other way, and point out that the sand miners somehow get prior information of any raids planned, and as a result, the raiding teams return empty-handed.
Meanwhile, the damage done to the banks of the Tiracol River has put the livelihood of Pernem’s farmers at peril. Constant extraction of sand on the stretch from Torxem to Keri has resulted in an increase in the depth of the Tiracol, and the weakening and collapse of its banks have led to an increase in its breadth as well. River water now enters and washes away thousands of kilometres of agricultural and plantation land,
“The land alongside the river is getting washed away, and this used to be fertile agricultural land, where we used to cultivate different types of crops. Even after giving the police live proof, no action is taken. If the authorities including the deputy collector, mamlatdar, police and coastal police do not intervene, we will be forced to take them to court,” warned Uday Mahale.
Similarly, the farmers from Talarna village are bearing the brunt of the plunder of sand along the Chapora River.
Due to the indiscriminate, unplanned extraction of sand by different groups, the cultivated land along the Chapora is sliding into the river, taking with it precious fruit trees and food crops. The farmers call for strict action and appeal to the government to build a protective wall to save their lands from getting washed away.
“We have faced huge losses due to the sand mafia. Eight of my coconut trees have washed away in these landslides, and two more are in the process of dying. Several metres of agricultural land have already washed away,” said farmer Aaron D’Souza.
Villagers have also raised concerns about migrant labourers, who work for the sand mafia, living alongside them, in their localities, without tenant verification.
Chandrakant Parab, another farmer said," Even after the ban on sand extraction, illegal sand mining continues under the cover of darkness. On July 29, we showed the police 4 canoes carrying sand, but the authorities did not stop them. The police claim to be taking action, but the sand mining still continues," said Parab. "We have made several complaints, oral as well as in writing, to all the concerned authorities, right from the mamlatdar to the Mines Department, but nothing has changed,” he said.
