CHENNAI: Residents of Pinayur in Uthiramerur have raised serious allegations of illegal sand mining and destruction of a decades-old jamun forest that was jointly developed by villagers, the local panchayat, and the Forest Department nearly 30 years ago.
Pinayur, a village panchayat that comes under the Uthiramerur Panchayat Union, is home to a large agricultural community, with more than 90% of residents working as farm labourers. The village has a lake covering around 50 acres, adjacent to a forest area.
Around 30 years ago, villagers, along with the panchayat administration and Forest Department officials, planted nearly 1,000 jamun saplings in the forest area near the lake. Over the years, the saplings grew into a dense forest that added a valuable ecological asset for the village.
The grove attracted numerous bird species that nested in the trees. During the jamun fruit season, residents regularly collected and consumed the fruits, and some also sold them for additional income. Forest officials never objected to villagers gathering fruits, it was people who contributed to creating and maintaining the forest.
However, due to the severe summer heat, the lake dried up, after which, the villagers urged Uthiramerur Panchayat Union to desilt and deepen the waterbody so it could store more rainwater during the upcoming monsoon. The Department of Geology and Mining in Kancheepuram awarded a contract for restoration work, which included removing sand and deepening the lake up to the government-permitted depth of three feet.
“The desilting work was carried out round-the-clock even when the model code of conduct was in effect. Contractors exceeded the permitted limit, excavating sand to depths ranging from 8-12 feet in several parts of the lake,” fumed a villager. “Excavation extended beyond the lake boundaries into the forest land, where sand was removed to depths of 10-15 feet. This severely damaged the jamun forest, with many mature trees uprooted or cut down, and secretly sold.”
Following multiple complaints from the villagers, Forest Department, and the Department of Geology and Mining, officials inspected the site, and instructed the contractor not to excavate beyond the permitted depth and temporarily halted the work. Despite the suspension order, villagers claimed that illegal sand mining continued secretly during night hours.
“We asked for the lake to be restored, not for a 30-year-old forest to be destroyed,” lamented R Ramamoorthy, a resident.
The villagers demand immediate re-plantation of jamun saplings. They have also called for strict action against those responsible for cutting hundreds of trees and carrying out alleged illegal mining within forest land.
When contacted, the Uthiramerur Panchayat Union Commissioner explained, “Lake restoration project was undertaken following repeated requests from villagers and farmers to deepen the lake and strengthen its bunds. After complaints on excessive excavation were received, mining department officials inspected the site and temporarily suspended the work. But we did not receive any information about the cutting of trees and sand mining inside the forest area.”
Forest Department officials, when approached for a response, declined to comment.