Task force formed to prevent illegal excavation around Machilipatnam Port
Authorities in Andhra Pradesh have formed a multi-department task force to protect government land and areas allotted for the expansion of Machilipatnam Port from unauthorised sand excavation and mineral mining. Officials have begun inspections, while CCTV cameras are being used and residents have been asked to report suspected violations.
A special task force has been formed to prevent illegal mining and unauthorised sand excavation on government land near Machilipatnam Port in Andhra Pradesh, according to Machilipatnam Revenue Divisional Officer Sambasiva Rao. The task force brings together officials from the Revenue, Police, Mining and Machilipatnam Urban Development Authority departments. Its remit includes government land and areas allotted for the port’s expansion and surrounding works.
Members inspected locations around the port on Wednesday to check whether excavation was taking place without the required permissions. The Krishna district administration announced the inspections in a press statement issued the same day. Rao said the State government had allotted approximately 1,400 acres for the second phase of Machilipatnam Port’s expansion.
He said special monitoring was being carried out to prevent unauthorised excavation of sand and other minerals in the area. CCTV cameras have been installed at various locations for monitoring, the RDO said. The task force’s inspections and the camera network are intended to help authorities identify excavation or removal of materials from the protected government lands.
Rao appealed to members of the public to inform the authorities if they observed unauthorised mining, sand excavation, or the illegal transportation of sand or minerals from government property. The district administration provided 9849903962 as the contact number for such reports. The statement did not provide details of any arrests, seizures or penalties arising from the inspections.
It said the immediate focus was on monitoring the land and preventing unauthorised activity around the port expansion area.
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