ALDONA: Rampant sand extraction continues unabated near the Hindu crematorium at Postar Quitla, Aldona despite complaints to the Department of Mines and Geology two weeks ago.
There has been no inspection carried out or action initiated over the alleged illegal sand extraction at the spot. “There has been severe depletion of sand in the river bed which could have an adverse effect and also lead to irreversible ecological damage. Almost over five feet of sand cover has been lost due to the sand being extracted excessively,” sources say.
Trucks carrying sand are seen plying along the Aldona-Nachinola-Moira-Mapusa route daily over 200 times. The movement of heavy traffic through these villages has also raised a concern among the villagers.
On February 20, a member of Goencho Avaaz called the Assistant Geologist in-charge of Bardez area to inform the department about this activity but till date no inspection has been conducted or action has been initiated.
“We have a lot of court matters and hence cannot come out of the office, but I will do it. It is not correct and I am giving you assurance that we will do it shortly,” the taluka in-charge said, when contacted.
The locals are afraid to file complaint or expose the sand mining operators.
A local said that sand mining is going on over a year in the village. “Earlier, it was not much, but now it is being carried out at a very large scale. Three years ago one needed a canoe to get into this river but today one can walk through this river with the water level coming down to knee level. The depth of this river is also reduced making it useless for navigation,” he said.
The Aldona MLA, Glenn Ticlo had earlier said he would look into the matter and talk to the department concerned.
