PANAJI: The high court on Tuesday directed Goa govt to submit a detailed report on the action taken to date against illegal sand mining in Goa. The Goa River Sand Protectors Network submitted to the HC that illegal sand mining continues in Goa and filed a second contempt petition.
In this petition, the network submitted to the HC photographs of sand mining taking place at various locations. The network said illegal sand mining has resumed on a major scale, with dozens of canoes plying in the river, openly extracting sand day and night while trucks wait on the banks to unload these stolen goods and transport them to construction sites across Goa.
The network said that illegal sand extraction is taking place at Virdi, Amona, Maina-Navelim under the Bicholim police station, and Torxem, Tambosem, Naibag, and Poroscodem under the Pernem police station. Other sites cited were Kankan-Volvoi Khandepar under the Ponda police station, Agarwada under the Mandrem police station, Camurlim under the Colvale police station, Corjem under the Curtorim police station, and Mersi Tem, Chorao, under the Old Goa police station.
Further, the network told the court that numerous complaints have been made to various authorities at grave personal risk to the complainants, but the complaints have been met with complete apathy, disinterest, and inaction from officials.
The petitioners said there is no regular police picket duty at the notorious spots specified in the court’s orders, no patrolling by police or the captain of ports in rivers, especially at notorious spots, and no posts and boom barriers at the notorious locations.
They further submitted that the directorate of mines and geology has not uploaded on its website a complete list of trucks granted permission for the transportation of sand in Goa, nor the transit passes issued online.
Truck permit details are available only from Oct 1, 2024, to Nov 25, 2024, the petitioners submitted to the HC.
They also stated that there is no system of maintaining a register, either physical or digital, at state border checkposts for checking whether they carry challans issued by neighbouring states to indicate legitimately mined sand.
