Despite knowing about the unabated illegal sand mining in and around Ernakulam, the district authorities and the police officials are able to do very little to check it.

According to sources, several police officials in the major mining zones fear to stop or seize sand-laden vehicles as the owners have reportedly formed a syndicate and are maintaining informers.

Last week, the mafia attempted to ram into a night patrolling police jeep in a bid to kill the police in Kothamangalam.

Sources said that several police officials, who tried to seize vehicles involved in the illegal act, reportedly received threatening phone calls from members of the sand mafia.

Miners have been digging sand from every available source, especially in Eroor, Aluva, Kalady and Kothamangalam. Hundreds of trucks, laden with sand, ply from these places in broad daylight.

Meanwhile, officials claim that they have seized vehicles and are slapping fines on tractor owners but the illegal activity has not come down.

“The mining mafia remains inactive when we begin special drives and investigations. They do not come out of their hideaways when we are on full alert.

However, it is impossible to conduct special drives throughout the year. When the police feel that the situation is calm and when they take a back seat, the sand mafia returns to their operations.

This is the reason for the recent surge in illegal mining,” said a top police official, on condition of anonymity.

He also said that the mafia would now return to their hideouts, as the police are back on special duties in order to catch the miners.

However, he was not sure if the police could bust the entire sand mafia in the district.

Greens allege a nexus of mafia, cops and politicians

Environmentalists and social activists allege that huge bribes are being paid by policemen and sub-inspectors and circle inspectors to political heavyweights to get a posting in the Eloor, Varapuzha, Binanipuram, Cheranellore and Kalady police stations in the sand mining belt of Periyar, with which police insiders, on condition of anonymity, agree to.

Grapevine has it that these police officials are able to make double the amount by the time they leave by helping the illegal sand-miners.

Interestingly, honest police officials find it difficult to survive in these stations antagonising the powerful sand mining mafia and hence they are either not posted or are speedily transferred to other stations.

“The politicians are giving the necessary help to the mafia which make the work of police easy.

Politicians who have been elected to the local bodies including municipalities and the three-tier panchayats are hand in glove with the sand mafia and some lawyers also help them which complete the vicious circle,” says N. Ramachandran, secretary, Association for Environmental Protection, Aluva.

Environmentalist Purushan Eloor said that the politician-policemen-sand mining mafia nexus is still very strong in the belt.

“However the sand mining in the Eloor area has come down a bit with the natives experiencing its repercussions while in other areas it is going on unabated.

Ramachandran said that a total of six crore truckloads of sand has been mined from Periyar since these operations were launched four decades ago.

“In last October, the government interestingly increased the number of sand mining ghats from 138 to 188, on the plea from the Aluva MLA, dealing another deadly blow to the dying river,” he said.

“The Supreme Court in February ordered that under the supervision of the environment ministry, an Environment Impact Assessment should be done before allowing sand mining from rivers and the authorities are duty-bound to abide by this.” Ramachandran said.