COIMBATORE: Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar, the Coimbatore district collector, has issued show-cause notices to 40 current and former revenue department officials for their inability to halt illegal sand mining in Perur taluk from 2019 to 2025. The district collector informed TOI that officials have been requested to submit written explanations. Further actions will be determined based on their responses.
Sources reveal that the notices target four tahsildars, 22 village administrative officers (VAOs), as well as some deputy tahsildars and revenue inspectors. These notices were issued under Section 17(a) of the Tamil Nadu Civil Service (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, which addresses serious misconduct, dereliction of duty, and other offenses.
“Illegal sand mining has persisted in Perur taluk for over a decade. The district collector has brought charges against 40 revenue officials—both past and present—citing their failure to address illegal mining from 2019 to 2025. Many honest revenue officials are also facing show-cause notices under 17(a), which could jeopardize their careers,” stated a revenue department official.
Revenue personnel accused senior officials of instructing them not to take any action against individuals involved in illegal sand mining in Perur taluk. They are calling for action against these senior officials and criticized the district administration for penalizing field workers.
In January, the Madras High Court instructed the police to establish a special investigation team (SIT) to look into illegal sand mining in Thadagam Valley and Perur taluk. A panel appointed by the high court inspected illegal excavations in the Perur and Thondamuthur blocks in September 2024. The panel, led by G Narayanan (chairman of the Permanent Lok Adalat) and K Ramesh (sub-judge of the District Legal Service Authority), included former Coimbatore district collector Kranthi Kumar Pati, district superintendent of police K Karthikeyan, district forest officer N Jayaraj, and officials from the geology and mining departments. They reported that illegal excavation of red earth was confirmed in the district, leading to the issuance of show-cause notices to the 40 officials by the current district collector.
A CB-CID (SIT) team is currently investigating illegal red earth and sand mining in the district.
