Unabated illegal sand transport continues

Mahabubnagar: The illegal sand trade continues unchecked in Mahabubnagar, with the sand mafia allegedly operating in collusion with local police, revenue, and mining officials. Despite repeated complaints and directives from higher authorities, the mafia is freely supplying sand at exorbitant prices, looting the government’s valuable resources and causing significant revenue loss to the exchequer.

Social activist Diddi Praveen Kumar, who has been persistently raising concerns about this issue, has accused the administration of failing to take concrete measures to curb the illegal sand trade. According to him, while senior officials, including the Mahabubnagar SP and District Collector, have issued multiple orders to regulate sand supply, lower-cadre police and revenue officials only act temporarily. After a brief crackdown, the illegal sand business resumes as usual, creating a cycle of corruption and exploitation.

Sources indicate that the sand mafia is thriving due to the direct involvement of corrupt officials within the police, revenue, and mining departments. Instead of ensuring fair and legal distribution, these officials allegedly allow the mafia to create an artificial shortage, leading to inflated prices that burden the common people.

Residents and contractors who require sand for construction purposes are left with no choice but to pay exorbitant amounts due to these artificial supply restrictions. Meanwhile, Praveen Kumar has strongly urged the government to implement strict regulations and ensure that sand is supplied to the public at affordable and standardized rates. He stressed that the entire sand supply system must be brought under government control and strictly monitored by the police and revenue departments to prevent illegal activities. “Unless sand supply is streamlined with a well-monitored distribution system, corrupt officials will keep supporting the mafia, and the public will continue to suffer,” he stated.