Sand smuggling on bikes rampant in Vellore district

According to district Superintendent of Police P Pravesh Kumar, with even bullock carts that are otherwise permitted to transport sand for domestic use now being illegally used to carry the material for commercial purposes, the police have come down heavily against such activity too. This has led to smugglers now packing sand in High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) sacks and carrying them on two wheelers, he added.

Despite the fact that only limited quantity can be transported this way over that of using a bullock cart, sources reasoned that the advantage of using a motorbike for carrying out the illegal activity is the seemingly easier manoeuvrability allowing more means to escape. An earlier identified practice of transporting illicit liquor in the tyre tubes of two wheelers has been adapted to ferrying sand too, they added.

Stating that nearly a 1000 vacancies in the Police department and the 120-kilometre stretch of the Palar river in the district prevented on-the-spot policing, Pravesh Kumar added that all the efforts by the police so far in curbing the illegal practice would go in vain once the poll counting day nears. Mentioning how the deployment of around 80 police constables near Arakkonam, where a sand-laden tractor reportedly killed a father and son on the spot, has resulted in the curbing of sand smuggling here, Pravesh, however, added, “When the cops are withdrawn for poll counting duty, the culprits will again indulge in smuggling”.

An upswing in smuggling activity could be observed from the fact that while 1867 sand smuggling cases were registered up to December 2018, 676 cases were already registered till April this year. Of the eight police sub divisions, Ranipet recorded the highest number of cases at 535 followed by Vellore with 382 till December 2018. But in the current year (till April 2019), Vellore sub-division has already recorded 180 cases followed by Ranipet with 151 cases, Pravesh Kumar said.

Seized vehicles on account of the illegal activity till May 19 2018 included 52 lorries, 67 tipper trucks and 300 carts. However, during the same period this year, the number of seizures included 49 lorries, 40 tipper trucks and 591 bullock carts, police officials said.