THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
Team Herald
MARGAO: A delegation of the South Western Railway (SWR) comprising engineers and senior officials conducted an inspection of the foundation of the railway overbridge at Cotta-Chandor in light of speculations that the rampant and illegal sand extraction may have caused damage to its structure.
“We found that there was no immediate damage to the foundation of the rail overbridge. However, we have given strict instructions to the officials who look after this area to keep an eye on any such illegal sand mining activities that could cause damage to the bridge’s foundation,” a senior SWR official told Herald.
It may be recalled that the locals had earlier informed the railway authorities about speculations that the foundation of the bridge has been damaged by the suction pumps used to mine river sand.
Locals have also been complaining about how sand mining has damaged the banks of the rivers flowing through the village and the collapse of age-old trees due to the detrimental effects of the sand extraction.
“Rampant illegal sand extraction, using suction pumps fitted on boats, by the sand mafia, has left a trail of destruction of river banks, bundhs, agricultural land and khazans. A glance along the river presents a gloomy tale of breached bundhs and fallen coconut trees,” said Felix Furtado, Chandor resident and member of the NGO Ganv Bhavancho Ekvott (GBE).
“Sadly, authorities have failed to protect our environment. At this rate, our beaches will disappear as replenishment of sand will be affected. The perpetrators of these atrocities have the cheek to demand that ethical sand mining be permitted,” he added.
