Villagers and the officials from the Mines and Geology Department had a tiff over the issue of sand accumulated in the fields located in the proximity of riverbed in Kalooru village.
The village had been seriously hit by natural calamity last year.
The residents took officials from the Department to task, when the latter arrived at Kalooru to extract and transport the sand, with the help of lorries they had brought along with them. Meanwhile, the villagers urged the officials to provide compensation to the owners of the land, before carrying away the sand.
Later, Madikeri Tahsildar visited the spot and warned the villagers that legal action would be taken if the clearing work was obstructed.
No bridge
The villagers, however, did not pay heed to the officials’ instructions and maintained that the owners of the land damaged by floods, should be provided with crop compensation first.
“No bridge has been built across the river in Kalooru. During rains, it is impossible to cross the river,” they complained.
All the efforts of the officials went futile as the villagers were adamant on their stand. The officials who had come to carry out the work in Kalooru on May 1, which was a holiday, had to return empty-handed.
A villager alleged that the officials are not working in adherence to the law.
Mines Department official Reshma, however, said, “No illegal work was being carried out by the government officials.” She asked whether the villagers collecting the sand from the fields were legal.
The villagers of Kalooru accused the officials of trying to collect the sand accumulated in the fields, without any notice.
Official clarifies
Reshma later clarified that the Department and the district crime investigation bureau had received an information that the people of the village have been illegally storing the sand collected from the fields of Kalooru.
“The place was spotted on Monday, following which, the department had carried out a raid on Wednesday. There is no basis for the allegations made by the villagers,” she added.