An illegal sand-mining racket was busted off Bellandur lake, on the outskirts of Bangalore, on Tuesday, even as officials maintained the mining had not come to their notice. One tractor and three pumpsets were seized at three spots and two officials suspended for inaction. HAL police arrested three persons - Narayanaswamy, Raju and Narasimhaiah - while Chinnappa, who ran the racket, is absconding.
The racket was exposed after members of the Joint Legislative Committee on Land Encroachment and the media team spotted sand being segregated on the tank bed. The Committee was on its way to Kempapura Tank Bed for an inspection. Village Accountant Mallikarjuna and Revenue Inspector Basavaraj were orally suspended on the spot.Spotting the photographers and television crew, some villagers idling by the site, skulked away but one person continued to segregate the sand. Villagers told reporters that sand-mining has been taking place for around six months, but officials claimed they were unaware of it.
‘Act against Society’
The Committee recommended criminal action against members of Karnataka State Judicial Department Employees Housing Building Cooperative Society which allotted sites in illegal Judicial Layout in Allalasandra in Bangalore North Taluk. Committee Chairman MLA A T Ramaswamy cited a 2001 High Court verdict in the Mangalagauri vs Keshavamurthy case and pointed out that the Society’s act amounted to a more serious violation.