By The News Observer Desk,
Karwar: In a bizarre coalition of government departments, sand thieves from all political parties in Karwar taluk continue looting sand from the Kali River bed unchecked.
Under the cover of midnight, they ravage the Kali River’s banks near villages like Chittakula, Savarpai, Siddar, and Kinnar, excavating sand with earth movers (JCBs) and smuggling it to Goa for profit. Governments change, officers transfer, even floods come and go—yet the nocturnal plunder remains uninterrupted.
Crores have been amassed through this illicit trade. Overloaded trucks (16–18 tonnes on roads rated for 3 tonnes) rumble through narrow lanes, shattering concrete and creating crater-like potholes. The district administration, police, and Mines & Geology Department appear helpless. Public complaints fall on deaf ears as convoys roll nightly toward Goa.
Chittakula police may change, but the thieves’ playbook doesn’t. The Mines and Geology department’s ‘flying squad’ never flies near these operations. Checkposts scrutinize incoming vehicles from Goa but wave through outgoing sand-laden trucks—allowing Karnataka’s mineral wealth to vanish across the border.
Despite a Central Environment & Forest Ministry ban on sand mining in the ecologically sensitive Kali basin, thieves defy law with roaring JCBs. The deafening clatter echoes nightly, yet patrolling police claim deafness. Locals, exasperated, have submitted petitions with hundreds of signatures to the Deputy Commissioner, SP, and Mines Department—to no avail. Sources allege political patronage shields the racket, enabling cross-party harmony in systematic looting.
https://youtu.be/sMkSebFiNFA?si=T9DQu2sLBQwIGQrw
Mining peaks near the Konkan Railway bridge below Sadashivgad. Excavation weakens pillars, risking catastrophic collapse—yet thieves remain unfazed. On the 3-meter-wide Sadashivgad–Savarpai road—built for two-wheelers and light vehicles—overloaded lorries and Boleros thunder past after 1 a.m., guided by a Chittakula-based kingpin who allegedly distributes regular “cuts” to authorities.
Box Fish Boxes Hide Sand Smuggling!
Clever thieves pack sand into large fish-transport crates. To outsiders, it’s a perishable goods vehicle—untouched during checks. Inside? Pure contraband sand bound for Goa.
Box Mangroves Destroyed Too
The Kali is a protected eco-sensitive zone. Legal mining could fill state coffers, but illegal operations destroy Kandla mangroves. Despite pleas to Forest, Mines, District administration the plunder continues. Locals ask: Is this just criminal gangs—or direct political interference? The answer, they say, is obvious.
