Armed cops to be deployed to tackle illegal sand mining

KOLLAM: In a move to put an end to the illegal nexus between the authorities and sand mining mafia, the Kerala Armed Police (KAP) has been deployed at all authorized sand mining points in the district.
Police officers from the Kollam Armed Reserve Camp have already joined the patrol duty at six authorized excavation points within the city limits.
City police commissioner Debesh Kumar Behra said that this was a normal procedure. "Since there is a shortage of manpower in the local police, we decided to depute personnel from the KAP." He also added that stringent actions would be taken against those going for illegal mining in the rivers.
There were intelligence reports about the link between the authorities in the local administration, a section of the police and the sand mafia.
Allegations were raised by environmentalists too in the past about this nexus which allows sand mining contractors to mine sand without any limit.
The mafia earns huge profits by selling the sand taken from authorized points. Though contractors spend only Rs 7,000 to 8,000 for one load of sand, it is sold for Rs 40,000 to 50,000.
Sources said that the police on guard would now check the sand passes and would allow only the specified number of loads to be transported.
Efforts are also being made to keep a check on the activities of the goons attached to the sand mining mafia. A month back, five members of the shadow police group were brutally attacked by illegal sand miners in Kandachira here at Mangad. There had been a couple of similar incidents in the past too, which might have prompted the police to take such a decision.
Police officers from the Kollam Armed Reserve Camp have already joined the patrol duty at six authorized excavation points within the city limits