Sand mining racket exposed in Kantale

COLOMBO (News1st) : A sand mining racket under which less sand is offered to buyers is operating in Kantale, a News1st investigation has found. Large scale sand mining takes place along the sandy stretch of the Mahaweli river from Suriyapura to Neelapura in Kantale. However, tipper trucks from Kantale remove certain amounts from the load at several areas between Dambulla and Kajugama before reaching the buyer. "This is a huge mafia, people might not be aware of it," an area resident said. Meanwhile, the Police Special Task Force (STF) on Monday raided a land in Horana, in which a sand racket had been operating under the guise of gem mining. The sand racket had been operating using a permit that had been issued solely for gem mining purposes in the area STF officers, assisted by Geological Survey and Mines Bureau officials, recovered 150 cubes of sand, a lorry and an excavator machine that had been used in the racket. Area residents claimed that the racket had been taking place since January.