Illegal sand quarrying, officials raid villages in Pondy,TN

Puducherry, Nov 28 (UNI) People from several villages of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu are resorting to illegal sand quarrying to make a fast buck causing revenue loss to the exchequer.

Several villagers from both sides of the Sankarabharani river bank flowing between Puducherry and Tamil Nadu were indulging in illegal sand quarrying.

After collecting the sand from the river, the villagers store the sand either in their backyard or in farmlands and sell it to customers.

Coming to know about the illegal sand quarrying, officials from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu had conducted raids in several villages, including Sellippattu in Puducherry and Ammanamkuppam in Tamil Nadu.

They found several lorry loads of sand collected illegally.

While, the Tamil Nadu authorities arranged on-the-spot sale of the seized sand. Puducherry officials were taking steps to transport the confiscated sand to the cooperative market for sale.

With the menace of illegal sand quarrying growing, authorities have taken steps to keep a close watch on the villages and river beds.

UNI