Mangaluru, (The Hindu): The Mines and Geology Department is sending about about 8,000 tonnes of sand seized by it near Maravoor Vented Dam here on Sunday and Monday for road works beginning in the Shiradi Ghat stretch from January 20.

A team of officials from the department in coordination with Revenue and Railway officials raided eight places in Padushedde, near the dam, and seized the sand illegally extracted from the Phalguni and stocked there.

Senior geologist Niranjan said that the team seized the boats used for extraction of sand and trucks used for transportation. Those involved are yet to be traced, he said.

Mr. Niranjan said that the department has registered a case each in the jurisdictional court for illegal sand transportation and for illegal stocking of sand. The Revenue Department and the Railways are registering cases, he said. They will continue raiding places where sand has been stocked illegally, he added.

As per the recent amendment to Section 31 (R) of Karnataka Minor Mines and Minerals Concession Rules, seized sand should be used for public works only. Therefore, the stock would be handed over, through the Public Works Department, to the concerned to be used for upgrading the 13-km stretch of National Highway 75, on the Shiradi Ghat. The contractor who would take up the project would pay royalty and taxes for the sand thus used, Mr. Niranjan said.