Illegal sand mining: DMK man makes Rs 238 crore

CHENNAI: Sitting DMK MLA K C Palaniswamy, who was arrested three days ago in Karur for his alleged involvement in illegal sand mining, has amassed wealth of Rs 238 crore from mining on the banks of the Cauvery, police investigations have revealed. Being what the police called ‘the leader’ for the entire sand mining caucus, the police estimated Palaniswamy to have amassed properties worth Rs1,000 crore over the past five years.Once a gunny bag maker, DMK MLA of Aravakurichi Palaniswamy, along with six associates, illegally mined sand from 350 acres of land in the Cauvery riverbed and on Government land adjacent to the river at Mayanur. Through sale of the sand in the open market, Palaniswamy earned Rs 238 crore, said a senior police officer investigating the case.  As per Government rates, the value of the sand he had mined was put at Rs 49 crore.  A team of police officials headed by Karur Superintendent of Police P Nagarajan is investigating the cases.The police source said that the property of Palaniswamy, who is notorious for illegal sand mining across the rivers in Tamil Nadu, was worth around Rs1,000 crore.Based on a complaint from the Manavasi Village Administrative Officer that the MLA had illegally mined sand violating Government rules, the police arrested the MLA and his associates Sundaresan, Giriraj, Raviraj, Raja, Sasikumar and Kumar on various charges, including Sections 147, 353 and 506(1) of the Mines and Minerals Act.The senior police officer, who was investigating the case, said that the PWD was the only licensed authority to mine the sand and sell it to various vendors as per Government rates.