Bengaluru: The sleuths from the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) are keeping a close watch on lorries transporting filter sand from various lake beds and open areas adjoining the Bannerghatta forests. In the last two months they have seized 30 trucks and collected a fine amount of Rs 5 lakh.
“There are large numbers of water bodies around Bannerghatta forests where filter sand is extracted. Hence to put an end to the violation we decided to clamp fine of Rs 25,000 on the trucks that were transporting sand through the forest areas. Under the Wildlife Protection Act, the National Park can take up cases against the sand transporters. Similar law is applicable for the sand mining in the buffer zone of the National Park,” a BNP official said.
The officials also noted that a drive would be taken up to ensure no illegal sand mining and quarrying takes place around the forest area. The Bannerghatta forests is home to Asiatic elephants and scores of other animals, including leopards and sloth bears. The presence of sand digging pits and quarry pits close to forest often hampers the movement of wildlife in the buffer zones.
“The quarrying units are located outside the buffer zone and they are supplying the jelly to the crusher units. There is a large scale demand for jelly in Bengaluru as well as in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. As theses units are located outside the purview of the National Park, no action can be taken. The permits and documents of transportation are being checked with both sand and quarrying trucks,” the official added.
The urban experts have demanded that the government must keep an eye on transportation and usage of filter sand, which is not good for constructing buildings. “Several buildings have been collapsed during the construction stage and they were mostly using the filter sand. The government agencies should double up efforts to stop illegal sand mining,” said an expert.
