Click to play videoBangalore: The illegal sand mining mafia now worth over Rs 400 Crore every year which is largely fuelled by a staggering 35 per cent jump in the growth of real estate sector around Bangalore and Mysore. Illegal mining at unallotted sites now comprises over 50 per cent of the state's output. The CNN-IBN has reported that the illegal sand mining is a common sight across the Tungabhadra and Cauvery river basins close to Bangalore.
“Even if we think conservatively there are at least 15,000 lorries that ply every day. Out of which 60 per cent to 70 per cent lorries move from illegal places. So the magnitude about the illegal mining in the state is about Rs 1 crore a day, “ said Chief Conservator of Forests, UV Singh.
Alarmed at the rate of digging, many environmentalists have petitioned the High Court in 2008 - a year later the court banned it. But the pace of digging has grown further as trucks even going to Kerala and Maharashtra besides fulfilling the demand of the booming Karnataka construction industry. The anti-corruption watchdog Lok Ayukta, in fact, says the mafia operates across the state and despite risks, is a highly profitable business.
“They charge around Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 per lorry. After transporting the sand the profit they get from a single lorry will be around Rs 10,000 and its because of this that they do all this illegal things, “ said Singh.
Sand mining locations are now auctioned by the government but the contractors finish them quickly and move to unallotted areas quickly. The Lok Ayukta office says they have conducted regular raids since 2006. However, 10 men were arrested in Haveri last month alone.
But lighter punishments, poor conviction and high returns from the business triggered by huge demand from the construction sector means it continues to flourish.
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