Drownings continue as traders extract sand but violate court ruling by not refilling riverbed
Drownings continue as traders extract sand but violate court ruling by not refilling riverbed
At least seven people have drowned in the district in the past two months because of rampant mining of sand that makes shallow riverbeds deeper overnight and catches the local residents unawares. Despite a district court order, issued three months ago, stating that the riverbed should be refilledu00a0-- with residues like big sand stonesu00a0-- after extracting the fine sand, few sand miners are complying with the ruling.
Creating death traps: Piles of rubble left on the banks of the Bhima
river after sand mining. Pic courtesy/Vinod Bodhankar (Jalbiradari)
As a result, people who use rivers for bathing and washing clothes walk into the death traps left behind by sand miners. This criminal negligence has caused seven causalities in the district in the past two months.
Tragedy near Baramati
The first incident was reported on April 8, when three women drowned in the Neera river at Murum village near Baramati. Paurnima Popat Sonawane (14), her younger sister Sulochana (11) and cousin Akkabai (60) were drowned when they had gone to the ghat to wash clothes. A relative of the deceased said a day before the tragedy sand was extracted from the riverbed by a construction company for its nearby site. The shallow riverbed had become deeper overnight, especially at the riverbank, but it was not visible.
Paurnima had just finished her HSC exams and Sulochana had completed her Standard VII final papers, said a relative. The Baramati police, who are investigating the case, have filed a case of accidental death. "The sand mafia who are responsible for the tragedy should be brought to justice at the earliest," said Ashok Sonawane, a resident of Murum. MP Supriya Sule assured the Sonawane family of a through probe into the case.
Action promised
District Collector Vikas Deshmukh said that operation against unofficial removal of sand from riverbed had been intensified. "I am going to take stricter action against the errant sand dealers as their negligence is taking the lives of innocent villagers," he said. "To stop the menace I am issuing a notice to the construction site that that the sand spots should be refilled with big sand stones and ensure us that there won't be any mishap due to the sand removal."
Satara, Sangli deaths
Three deaths were also reported in Satara and Sangli districts. S M Kadu Patil and Shyam Vardhane, the district collectors of Sangli and Satara respectively, had assured action against the sand traders.
ADVERTISEMENT
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
