Illegal sand transportation with CM Revanth's picture on lorries; ministers' aides attempt to free seized vehicles

HYDERABAD: In a glaring contradiction, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's call for stringent action against the sand mafia is being overshadowed by a disturbing revelation. While CM Revanth is advocating for a crackdown on illegal sand mining activities, his ministers, through their Personal Assistants (PAs) and followers, appear to support the illicit operations.

On February 8, during a review meeting with senior officials at the Secretariat, CM Revanth Reddy set a stringent 48-hour deadline for officials to stop illegal sand mining. However, Telangana State Mineral Department Corporation (TSMDC) officials uncovered a shocking twist when they exposed a sand mafia gang attempting to operate in the name of the Chief Minister himself.

Amidst claims that the Congress Government in Telangana is striving to eradicate the sand mafia, a bold attempt was made to smuggle 16 lorries of sand from Andhra Pradesh illegally. TSMDC officials seized the lorries at Bhadrachalam on Tuesday night. However, the officials were shocked when they received calls from the PA of a minister from erstwhile Warangal district and some followers of a minister from Khammam district urging them to release the lorries.

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The TSMDC officials sought the cooperation of the local police, but initially, they did not cooperate. The TSMDC officials brought the issue of illegal transportation of sand to the attention of the District Collector, who then spoke to the District SP, leading to the intervention of the local police.

There is a substantial stockpile of sand at the Gundala sand ramp in Alluri district of Andhra Pradesh. As these dumps are just four kilometres away from Bhadrachalam town, the sand mafia targeted them. With a ban on selling Andhra Pradesh's sand in Telangana and the non-granting of new sand reaches in the state, there is a shortage of sand in Hyderabad.

A lorry of sand is being sold for Rs 90,000. With high profits in mind, the mafia decided to transport the sand from Gundala reach to Hyderabad after entering into an agreement with an AP contractor.

To influence TSMDC officials and police, pictures of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy were pasted on the windshields of some lorries, assuming that no one would catch them. Based on credible information, TSMDC officials intercepted the lorries near Bhadrachalam on Tuesday night. The mafia members told the officers who intercepted the lorries that they were CM's followers and Congress party leaders. However, the authorities did not buy their claim and refused to release the lorries.

The TSMDC officials immediately informed the local police officials, who initially did not cooperate. When the police did not arrive, they took up the matter with the District Collector. As the Collector brought the matter to the attention of the District Superintendent of Police, the police swung into action.

Meanwhile, the officials were disturbed by the calls they received from a minister's PA and other followers of another minister. The officials informed the callers that the ministers had ordered them to stop the illegal transport of sand, and now it is not appropriate to ask them to release the lorries in the name of the ministers.

According to sources, a senior mining department official from Andhra Pradesh who came to Telangana called the TSMDC officials and asked them to release the lorries. The TSMDC officials asserted to the senior officer of the mining department that they would heed only the orders of their Managing Director.

It is not yet known whether the ministers were aware that their PA and followers called TSMDC to bail out sand smugglers and get the lorries released.

Did the PA and other followers make the calls on their own, or did they do so at the instructions of ministers? This would be known only if the matter gets investigated. Still, will the local police, who initially refused to act, display the courage to probe into the involvement of ministers in the illegal sand mafia? That remains a million-dollar question.