Team Herald
PONDA: Volvoivillagers have demanded action against a cement companysituated on the bank ofVolvoi River for illegal sand mining.
According to the locals, the Captain of Ports has banned sand mining in Volvoi River; besides, even the permissions given to the locals involved in traditional sand extraction have not been renewed on technical grounds. Despite all these, the locals complained, the cement company has been extracting sand illegally. The locals are indignant that instead of manufacturing cement, the company is extracting sand illegally in Volvoi river.
To verify the claims of Volvoi villagers, the local media persons, using a canoe, sailed to the spot (Kothabi–Tishem)where the villagers alleged that the cement company was extracting sand. On reaching the spot, the local media persons noticed a huge heap of sand stored on the jetty of the cement company. The locals who accompanied the media persons to the jetty said that the sand was extracted using a crane and suction pump. This claim also was verified by the media person who saw the crane and suction pump floating on the river.
The Volvoi villagers alleged that on the pretext of dredging the river near the jetty, the cement company was extracting sand.
The villagers are angry that while around 300 locals, whose family tradition is sand extraction, are unemployed by keeping their canoes idle on the bank of river, the cement manufacturing company was extracting cement to the detriment of the locals.
According to former VolvoiSarpanch Vinayak Vengurlekar, sand mining is banned during the monsoons; but now, though the ban has come to an end, the locals engaged in traditional sand extraction have not been given sand mining permission by Captain of Ports on technical ground. Incidentally, it was Vengurlekar who took the media persons to the jetty of the cement manufacturing company.
Vengurlekar complained that while the locals were obeying the order of by Captain of Ports, the cement company was violating the same by engaging in sand extraction.
The former sarpanch said that the cement company is allowed to maintain a jetty only for unloading cement powder that is required for making of cement. However, he said, the company was extracting sand on large scale for profit.
Accusing the Captain of Ports of going soft on the cement company, Vengurlekar questioned why no action has been taken against the cement company for illegal sand extraction, when the canoes of locals are seized if found not registered with the Captain of Ports.
To prevent illegal sand mining by the cement company, localshave demanded patrolling of Volvoi River as it has huge deposits of sand at its bed. Besides, the locals also called for a ban on dredging by the cement company near its jetty.
Vengurlekar said that huge deposit of sand is found near the jetty of the cement company, which the locals are extracting only after paying regular royalty to the mines department; hence, the cement company should be stopped from extracting sand inVolvoiRiver. “This zone is marked for sand mining, hence the cement company should be stopped from extracting sand,” he added.
