Ponda: Despite the ban, illegal sand extraction and transportation goes on in Priol while the authorities concerned continue to turn a Nelson’s eye to activity that takes place under the cover of darkness.
Locals charge that heavily loaded trucks then speed up in the wee hours of dawn and pose danger to other commuters. “Most of the clandestine activity takes place at Vaghurme, Priol between 2 and 5 am and the truck drivers move at jet speed posing danger to the locals who venture out of their houses early for work,” stated villagers.
Residents state that sand mining is going on despite the High Court ban and charged that these trucks have scant respect for the law and do not lower the speed even at Khandepar junction where heavy containers always passing by and stated that this is an accident prone zone and lots of mishaps have taken place earlier.
“Some locals from Vaghurme return home after night shift while the fishermen use the same route to go to Margao early in the morning to buy fish,” said a villager and added that their lives were at risk on account of these speeding vehicles.
Sources also said that some people have been secretly recording the illegal transportation of the sand and then extort money the next day by black-mailing the truck drivers.
