The 12-month ban on sand quarrying activity in the Palar river basin in Kancheepuram district that came into effect in November seems to have failed to have an impact on illegal quarrying.
Enquiries reveal that from November 13, 2013 — the date from which the total ban on sand quarrying activity for 12 months came into effect — a total of 1,138 cases have been booked and 1,134 persons arrested.
995 bullock-carts and the 179 mechanized vehicles ie. lorries, light commercial vehicles, tractors and mini-goods carriers have been impounded.
However, police said that the number of mechanized vehicles impounded on charges of transporting illegally quarried sand used to be much higher prior to the ban.
They noted that more bullock carts are being used and blamed the lack of provisions to crack down on the owners of bullock-carts as a reason.
“The lorries were checked by us when they would move out of the quarry. But after the ban, bullock-carts were deployed to load river sand at particular points from where it would be lifted later using the lorries, which have been issued with tokens to transport sand from the quarries functioning in nearby districts,” they said.
As per the existing provisions in Mines and Minerals Act, fines ranging from Rs. 20,00 to Rs. 35,000 were slapped on the offenders.
Normally, these cases are brought to trial before the Revenue Divisional Officers, who impose a fine of Rs. 2000 on bullock-carts, Rs. 25,000 on lorries, Rs. 22,000 or Rs.23,000 on tractors, and Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 35,000 for mechanical excavators used for smuggling sand.
