Indiscriminate sand mining poses threat to Kallanai, say farmers

TIRUCHY: Members of various farmers associations staged a protest in Thanjavur demanding to curb the river sand smuggling stating that it posed threat to the ground water and environment.

The protesting farmers, led by AITUC district secretary R Thillaivanan, said that the sand smugglers dig around the Grand Anicut (Kallanai) which was built over 2,000 years and continuous dredging activity poses threat even to the monumental structure.

So, the state government should ban sand quarries up to a radius of 10 km around the Grand Anicut. Thillaivanan charged that over 100 lorries have been transporting river sand from the quarries around Grand Anicut which poses threat to the environment and affects the sand quality which would not be supportive for the agriculture activity fed by the dam, he said.

They also urged the state government to prevent sand smuggling and not to introduce new sand quarries. “A monitoring committee with farmers and officials as members should be formed to curb the menace,” Thillaivanan added. Members raised slogans demanding steps to stop sand quarrying and smuggling.