The administration had desilted many ponds to store the river water, Coimbatore’s lifeline, during rains for the use in summer. It had come to the notice that some miscreants were transporting sand in private trucks, bullock carts and on the back of donkeys and as part of putting an end to this, the authorities decided to detain under Goondas Act those involved in such illegal activities, he said.

Meanwhile, PMK youth wing State deputy secretary Ashok Srinithi said party workers had recently stopped a lorry carrying illegal sand from Noyyal near city airport. However, police booked the workers under 6 sections and let the driver free. They gave a report that it was M sand and forwarded it to the thasildar and the RDO, he said, adding that the party would submit a memorandum to Hariharan seeking test of the sand and putting it back into the river.

A few environmentalists in the area also raised the issue of illegal sand mining, which, they said, was affecting the environment and also reducing the ground water level and was cause for flooding during heavy rain.