Protests are brewing against 'mining of sand' from the Aadi-Pampa and Varattar channels. Local residents allege that the government is allowing the sand mafia to loot sand in the name of the Aadi-Pampa-Varattar rejuvenation project.
The Congress, which recently organised a dharna in front of the Regional Divisional Office at Chengannur, has demanded a judicial probe into the sand removal. The district Congress leadership has levelled corruption charges against former Minister and Chengannur MLA Saji Cherian. The party leaders allege that the State government, after sidelining local self-government institutions and the public, has colluded with the sand mafia. They demand that the government reveal details about the volume of sand extracted so far.
The second phase of rejuvenation of the 4.2-km Aadi-Pampa and 9.4-km Varattar, both tributaries of the Pampa river, began earlier this year. The rejuvenation of the two channels is aimed at ensuring effective flood management and smooth flow of water. The project is also expected to ensure the availability of water round the year, which will be a major boost to farming in the Chengannur, Aranmula and Thiruvalla Assembly constituencies in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts.
Hareesh Kumar, coordinator, Varattar Janakeeya Samithi, says indiscriminate sand mining would spell doom for the channels. "The government is supposed to desilt the waterbodies to ensure smooth flow of water. Instead, it is removing only sand, especially from the Aadi-Pampa, using dredgers, while the waterbodies continue to remain silted," Mr. Kumar says.
A few years ago, an environmental impact assessment carried out by an expert team constituted by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment warned against the deepening of Aadi-Pampa and Varattar.
Recently, the Chengannur municipality and the Edanad Janakeeya Samithi moved the Kerala High Court against sand mining. The court sought a report from the District Collector. It has been reported that the district administration submitted a report stating that no sand mining was taking place in Aadi-Pampa and Varattar.
Following public protests, sand mining has been suspended for the time being.
