Chennai:
Truck operators claim that every day, thousands of river‑sand loads are smuggled out of 10 districts in Tamil Nadu and transported to Kerala and Karnataka. They argue that the smuggling machine keeps running because there are no functioning legal sand quarries in the state.
Their allegations bring the issue of illegal sand mining back into focus and spark new doubts about why government‑approved quarries, promised for reopening, have yet to become operational.
Back in the day, Tamil Nadu ran 13 ordinary river sand quarries. Enforcement Directorate probes in 2023 uncovered alleged irregularities involving contractors, leading to the shutdown of all quarries. After the closures, the Water Resources Department earmarked 30 fresh sites in 10 districts and secured environmental clearances for them. The first phase was to see eight of these sites reopened, but the tendering process for hiring sand contractors reportedly suffered from irregularities that stalled the whole initiative indefinitely.
Truckers maintain that this bureaucratic gridlock has created a breeding ground for illegal sand networks. They estimate that roughly 3,000 loads of sand are moved daily from districts including Karur, Namakkal, Pudukottai, Dindigul, Tirunelveli, Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvallur, and Cuddalore. They contend that the long delay in resuming legal quarry activities has helped smuggling grow to unrivaled levels.
R. Paneerselvam, president of the Tamil Nadu Sand and Sand Lorry Owners Consolidated Welfare Association, accused the Water Resources Department of “turning a blind eye” after announcing the new quarries. He argued that the department’s inactivity has indirectly supported illegal operators. Paneerselvam also pointed to Transport, Revenue, and Geology and Mining officials—supposedly in charge of stopping sand trafficking—who have stayed silent. Some entrepreneurs, he said, obtain Collector approval by presenting patta records on land near riverbeds and then use that façade to illegally extract and move sand across state lines.
Paneerselvam added that opening authorized quarries would not only curb smuggling but also protect the livelihoods of thousands of lorry drivers who rely on legal sand operations.
A senior Geology and Mining official said that swift squads intervene when they receive specific tips. However, he acknowledged that key information about smuggling is often withheld thanks to the sway of local political leaders, making enforcement difficult.
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