BJP Andhra Pradesh State President D. Purandeswarai on Saturday alleged that Sir Arthur Cotton barrage was under threat for its survival owing to illegal sand mining deep inside the river Godavari adjacent to the barrage in East Godavari district.
In 2022, the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) has declared ‘Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage’ as a World Heritage Irrigation Structure.
On Saturday, BJP led by Ms. Purandeswari and Jana Sena Party together conducted a joint inspection of the ongoing sand mining at Ballanka area in Kadiyapu Lanka near Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage.
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Addressing the newsmen on the banks of river Godavari, Ms. Purandeswari has alleged; “Heavy machines have been deployed by replacing the local boats for the deep sand mining in the heart of the river Godavari, adjacent to Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage. The scale and methods of sand mining posed a major threat to the survival of the barrage at Dowleswaram”.
Expiry of contract
“The sand mining contract signed by the State government with the Delhi-based Jaypee Group has expired by November. The State government did not invite the fresh tenders and left the Jaypee group to have a field day in the sand mining. The Chief Minister and State government officials should offer clarity on the ongoing illegal sand mining in Andhra Pradesh”, said Ms. Purandeswari.
Responding to the documents pertaining to vehicles engaged to transport sand from the river, Ms. Purandeswari has said; “The bills shown by the operators on the site contain no signature of the District Collector or the Mines Department officials. However, a huge quantity of sand is being mined and transported from the river Godavari without any vigilance”.
Ms. Purandeswari has further alleged that the flower nursery owners are not able to collect and transport the soil as the vehicles used for the sand transportation are blocking their road path.
“In Andhra Pradesh, a load of 10-tonne sand costs ₹40,000 to ₹50,000, which the poor cannot afford. The escalation in the sand price also impacted the construction activity, leaving thousands of workers unemployed”, said Ms. Purandeswari.
Jana Sena East Godavari District President Kandula Durgesh, East Godavari BJP District President B. Dattu and other leaders participated in the inspection.
