Straight Talk
Prof.Mahesh Panse
Sand thieves and the mafia have become experts at ravaging rivers and streams. A grim reality has emerged in Mul Taluka, revealing that these smugglers—who flout the law with impunity and behave like beasts—have now completely lost their sense of humanity in pursuit of their vested interests.
A shocking scene has come to light in Mul city, where sand thieves have crossed all bounds of shamelessness by driving a JCB right over the earthen embankment constructed by the Municipal Council—the very structure designed to protect the city from flooding.
To ensure that more than half of Mul city remains safe during the monsoon season, the Municipal Council had implemented protective measures; they constructed a massive earthen embankment on adjacent forest land to halt the torrent of floodwater from entering the city. For the past two years, city residents had breathed a sigh of relief, feeling secure from flood-like situations. However, a distressing picture has now emerged: Mul’s sand mafia—in order to transport their stolen goods via illicit routes—literally deployed a JCB to utterly destroy the embankments built by the Municipal Council, thereby committing the heinous sin of leaving Mul city vulnerable to being submerged in floodwaters.
By breaching the embankments constructed by the Mul Municipal Council at two separate locations—and carving out a one-kilometer-long illicit route within the Forest Department’s jurisdiction—it appears that sand thieves have transported thousands of truckloads of sand from the Kosambi and Chincholi ghats.
By demolishing the Municipal Council’s embankments, these sand thieves—who seem utterly oblivious to the fact that this could unleash havoc upon the city in the middle of the monsoon season—have they truly lost all sense of shame, decency, and humanity? This is the indignant question now being raised by the public. The ‘Karmaveers’ of Mul City
In 2022 and 2023, chaos ensued in Mul city when a massive torrent of water—originating from the hilly terrain adjacent to Karmaveer College and spanning the jurisdictions of the Forest Department and the Forest Development Corporation—surged into the urban area, inundating nearly 800 homes.
The citizens suffered immense losses. Taking the initiative, the then Chief Officers, Mr. Pawar and Mr. Dode, constructed substantial earthen embankments to divert the encroaching floodwaters back into the forest, thereby bringing much-needed relief to the town.
However, it now appears that the safety of the residents—who had finally begun to feel secure—is once again at risk of a flood-like situation, as the illicit activities of sand thieves have intensified in the area.
Is This Not Unpardonable Negligence?
Operating along the boundaries of the Forest Department and within the limits of the Forest Development Corporation, sand mafias are constructing clandestine routes—approximately 1 kilometer in length and 10 to 12 feet wide—to accommodate large transport vehicles. For days on end, thousands of loads of sand are transported via these illicit routes. What else could this be, if not either unpardonable negligence or outright collusion?
In a zone where absolutely nothing can be undertaken without official permission, these sand mafias are brazenly deploying JCB excavators to breach the constructed embankments and carve out illicit roads spanning kilometers. Hundreds of vehicle-loads of sand are transported daily; it would be nothing short of a miracle if the concerned employees and officials remained completely oblivious to such blatant activity occurring right under their noses.
While it is certainly a matter of satisfaction that the then Chief Officers of the Mul Municipal Council took the initiative to implement these protective measures, does it not beg the question: shouldn’t the relevant officials or employees of the Municipal Council be periodically monitoring the situation?
The sand thieves have become utterly brazen; however, if the officials of the concerned departments and the current office-bearers of the Municipal Council fail to demonstrate sensitivity to this issue, it is certain that confronting the crises that may arise in the future will prove to be an arduous task.
