Report sought on illegal sand mining crackdown

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has called for a report from the Villupuram District Collector and SP stating the steps taken to curb illegal quarrying of sand from Palar river in Walajah taluk of Vellore district.The first bench comprising Chief Justice MY Eqbal and Justice TS Sivagnanam gave the direction while entertaining a public interest writ petition from D Gopalakrishnan of Sathambakkam village. The petitioner contended that the permit holders were granted permission to dig only up to three feet from ground level. But they quarried sand up to the depth of 30 feet and transported them in lorries more than the prescribed numbers. The petitioner prayed for a direction to the PWD to cancel the permission. The interim prayer was to install a police booth on the river bed to monitor the sand mining.