Truck owners claim sand is smuggled from Tamil Nadu daily.
Chennai: Truck owners allege that trucks loaded with river sand are being smuggled daily from 10 districts of Tamil Nadu to Kerala and Karnataka. They also claim that while no legal sand mining is currently operating in the state, this large-scale activity continues unabated.
Their claims have raised concerns about the rise in illegal sand mining and raised new questions about why the long-standing promise to reopen government-approved mines remains unfulfilled.
Thirteen river sand mines previously operated in Tamil Nadu, but all were closed in 2023 after the Enforcement Directorate launched an investigation into alleged irregularities involving contractors. Following the closure of the mines, the Water Resources Department identified 30 new sites in 10 districts and obtained environmental clearance for them.
Eight sites were selected for reopening in the first phase. However, the tender process for appointing contractors to distribute sand faced alleged irregularities, delaying the entire plan indefinitely. Truck operators say this administrative paralysis has created the perfect environment for illegal sand mining networks to flourish.
They allege that large quantities of sand—approximately 3,000 loads daily—are being transported out of the state from districts such as Karur, Namakkal, Pudukottai, Dindigul, Tirunelveli, Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvallur, and Cuddalore.According to them, the prolonged delay in reopening legal sand quarries has greatly encouraged smuggling.
R. Panneerselvam, president of the Tamil Nadu Sand and Sand Lorry Owners Consolidated Welfare Association, accused the Water Resources Department of turning a blind eye after the announcement of the new quarries. He claimed that the department’s failure to operate them indirectly aided illegal operators. He also alleged that officials from the Transport, Revenue, and Geology and Mining departments—responsible for preventing sand smuggling—have remained silent.
He said that some people obtain approval from collectors, citing leased land along the river, and use it to illegally extract and transport river sand across state borders. Paneerselvam said that reopening authorized mines would not only curb smuggling but also safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of lorry workers dependent on legal sand mining.
A senior official from the Geology and Mining Department said that flying squads take action whenever specific complaints are received. However, he admitted that due to the influence of local politicians, crucial information about smuggling operations is often withheld, making proper enforcement challenging.
