Chennai:
In a dramatic crackdown on sand miners, the Tirupur Police in Tamil Nadu has seized more than 350 trucks that were allegedly carrying more than double the amount of sand they've been approved to carry.
Police say these trucks took sand from the Cauvery River in Trichy district and were heading towards Coimbatore and Kerala.
According to the Tirupur Superintendent of Police, Mr Asra Garg, these trucks were authorised to carry 7.5 tonnes of sand, but the vehicles were found to be loaded with 15 to 16 tonnes of sand, which is illegal. "It is like paying for a cup of sand and taking away a bucket full," he said.
The police have imposed a minimum fine of Rs 2000 and a thousand more for every tonne of overload.
After the crackdown, sand miners are on a war path and have called for a strike on July 12. "We make around three thousand rupees on every trip. But this time we are asked to pay a fine of three thousand to more than five thousand rupees. Where do we go?" said a member of the Sand Lorries Association.