The Hindu Business Line : Ernakulam dist lifts ban on river sand mining

THE Ernakulam district administration has lifted the ban on sand mining from rivers, including the Muvattupuzha river, the Periyar and their tributaries in the district. The ban was in force from August 1.

However, mining of sand from kadavus that are within the limits of 500 metres upstream and downstream from irrigation schemes would not be allowed. The decision was taken by the district-level expert committee with the Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Division, Ernakulam, as convenor.

The expert committee has reduced the total number of kadavus from which mining would be allowed to 52 from 70.

It was also decided that a total quantity of 603 truckloads of sand would be allowed for mining per day from all the kadavus put together. The Administration has released the list of 52 kadavus from which mining of sand would be allowed under the strict monitoring of the local bodies.

Mining, removal and sale of the sand could be undertaken only under the guidelines issued in detail by the District Collector.

The convenor of the committee also prepared the list of kadavus after inspecting the sites. The panchayat authorities have to submit a copy of the resolution along with an affidavit (checklist) stating that all conditions in the circular issued by District Collector in 2002 regarding river sand mining have been complied with.

The panchayats should pay in advance 20 per cent of the value of the sand covered by the passes issued for the month in advance to the District Collector on the 1st of every month.

The sanction would be automatically cancelled if the grama panchayats failed to undergo these formalities.

The local bodies also have the responsibility of ensuring that the directions issued by the High Court and the State Government with regard to sand mining are followed scrupulously.

It would be monitored by the concerned Tahsildars, who should report any instance of violation of the guidelines to the District Collector immediately.

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