Barwani (Madhya Pradesh): While the Prime Minister speaks of saving water bodies and interlinking rivers, illegal sand mining in the protected riverine area continues unabated, endangering several threatened species here in the Barwani district.
The local administration here is turning a blind eye towards the sand mafia that is complicit in illegal mining at Narmada and Goi river bed these days.
Accusing the mining department of strengthening the hands of mining mafias, Pawan Yadav, a member of Narmada Bachao Andolan and Sandeep Nargave, a spokesman of Jay Adiwasi Yuva Shakti (JAYS) has said one can easily notice what is going on at Silawad, Piplod, Bagdo villages situated on the bank of Narmada river and Goi river, but the department which entrusts to control such activities are acting as a mute spectator in the matter.
Even though the government has banned the use of heavy machines for the excavation of sand from the river beds, those who were involved in the illegal activities pressed heavy machines and excavators and dredgers into the business as daily 50 to 60 trolleys of sand were transported to the different part of the state.
Yadav informed that officials sitting at the mineral resources department or mining inspector Shantilal Ninama least bother to share data or any information with the media persons fearing that this could ruin their business which is going on smoothly.
They claimed that whenever they approached Ninama and raised the question before him, he had the same answer that the department would take action in the matter.
