Bantwal, December 5: About 20 lorries, that were illegally transporting sand on the BC Road and Farangipet National Highway was seized by the team of officials led by Bantwal tashildar. The seized sand laden lorries are handed over to the town police station, informed tashildar Purandara Hegde.
The team of officials undertook operations around BC Road area, and intercepted lorries that were illegally transporting sand from Mangaluru to Panemangaluru and Bantwal areas. The officers had also remained stationed at the junction under the fly over at BC Road. They stopped the lorries in Kaikunje road. Also on the night of Thursday, the officials checked the lorries. The lorries that had not obtained necessary documents for sand transportation were seized. Although some lorries had permits to transport sand, it came to the notice that they had loaded sand more than the specified limit. The additional quantity of sand will be calculated and fined will be collected accordingly, informed Purandara Hegde.
Sand mining has been now stopped in the Netravati river banks coming under the Bantwal municipality limits, and at present there are no problems of sand mining in the locality. But as there is information about sand being illegally transported in lorries coming from Mangaluru, strict checking is being done as per the orders of the Deputy Commissioner, informed Purandara Hegde.
Some among the seized lorries were moving through the road below the Kaikunje railway bridge. Though some lorries were parked near the railway station to evade inspection by the officials, the officials seized them. The publics expressed anger over the heavy movement of lorries that transport sand illegally.
In the operation, Revenue Inspector Narayana Poojary, Ashraf Iqubal, Diwakar, Village Accountant Basavaraju Sanadi, A P Bhat, Staffs Sadashiva Kaikamba, Laxmana Narikombu and others had participated.
On the night of Thursday, team led by the Deputy Commissioner A B Ibrahim comprising of revenue department officials conducted operation in Mani against the lorries that were transporting sand illegally and also on over loaded sand transporting trucks. 16 lorries which were seized by the officials were then handed over to the Vittal police.
Assistant Commissioner Dr Ashok, Bantwal Tashildar Purandara Hegde, Nagendrappa from Mines and Geology department, revenur officials such as Ashraf Iqubal, Diwakar, Puttur ASP Rishyank, Circle inspector Mahesh Prasad, Bantwal rural police inspector Rakshith A K, Vittal SHO Prakash Devadiga, and other officials had participated in the operation.
