The alleged illegal sand mining in Tamil Nadu has come under renewed scrutiny after the DVAC registered a case against former Water Resources Minister and DMK's general secretary Durai Murugan and several government officials over irregularities in mining operations between 2021 and 2024. The ED, which has been investigating the alleged scam, estimated that illegal sand sales worth Rs 4,730 crore had taken place across Tamil Nadu.
Its investigation used technical assessments, including geofencing data from excavators and surveys of permitted quarry sites, to identify mining beyond authorised areas. The allegations also include extracting sand beyond approved mining plans, and fabricating permit-related receipts to facilitate illegal transportation.
In this week’s episode of Yen Endra Kelvi, Shabbir Ahmed speaks to Jayaram Venkatesan, Convenor of Arappor Iyakkam, to understand how alleged irregularities in sand mining operations were carried out, the technical mechanisms used to identify excess extraction, and the alleged nexus between private contractors and state officials.