Check Dam in Karimnagar Blasted, Sand Mafia Blamed
Blast causes major damage and threatens farmland in Karimnagar region
Karimnagar: A new check dam on the Manair river, constructed at a cost of about Rs 23 crore, was reportedly destroyed using explosives between Gumpula of Odela mandal in Peddapalli district and Tanugula of Jammikunta mandal of Karimnagar district, officials said. The suspicion centres on the sand mafia operating in the area.
The check dam, due for inauguration, suffered significant damage, with 90-metre-long cracks and breaches found in three places. Irrigation officials have filed a complaint with the Jammikunta Police stating that the attack was carried out using detonators or gelatin sticks, strongly suspecting it to be the work of the sand mafia whose illegal operations were halted by the dam’s presence.
The destruction of the check dam poses a severe threat to irrigation, with the potential to turn nearly 3,000 acres of surrounding farmland across Gumpula, Tanugula and Shambunipally of united Karimnagar.
The check dam had served to keep the area green and provided a stable water supply for agriculture. The illegal sand trade, which previously operated extensively with 300 to 400 tractors and trucks illegally transporting sand to Hyderabad and other regions, was severely restricted by the dam’s water reserves. Authorities believed the culprits realized they could only resume their highly profitable, large-scale mining operations if the structure was eliminated.
Following the incident, irrigation officials, including EE K. Balaramaiah and DE Ravi, rushed to the site and confirmed preliminary evidence of blasting. Ravi filed a formal complaint, stating that unidentified individuals blasted the dam and specified that the damage has placed the cultivation of 100 acres in the immediate vicinity and estimated the financial loss to be around Rs 3 crore.
EE Balaramaiah stated that the act appeared to be a deliberate blast, likely executed by the sand mafia and promised strict action against the perpetrators. The Jammikunta police have registered a case and CI S. Rama Krishna confirmed that an investigation into the destruction is underway.
