Kerala vigilance busts soil mining racket 14 officials took UPI bribes

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: What looked like routine construction activity across parts of Kerala has now exposed a deeper nexus, with a statewide vigilance probe uncovering alleged bribery and illegal soil mining involving multiple officials. A statewide vigilance probe into illegal soil mining and transportation in Kerala has found that 14 officials across departments allegedly accepted bribes totalling Rs 4.69 lakh through UPI transactions from soil contractors and applicants. The inspections, carried out under "Operation Earth Guard" held on April 20, covered all 14 district Mining and Geology offices, 72 offices in select local self-government institutions and 360 locations flagged for suspected violations, according to an official statement on Tuesday. Acting on intelligence inputs about widespread irregularities, the vigilance department conducted surprise checks and found serious violations, including removal of soil beyond permitted limits and misuse of building permits for illegal excavation. In many cases, landowners obtained permits for construction, removed large quantities of soil, but failed to begin building work within the mandated one-year period.

In some instances, land was altered and later sold as sites after large-scale soil removal, it said. The probe also pointed to the involvement of organised groups engaged in illegal soil mining and transport under the cover of development and building permits. According to the Vigilance, officials in Mining and Geology departments and local bodies failed to act against violations, allegedly after accepting bribes or under undue influence, resulting in substantial loss of government revenue by way of royalty and penalties. District-level inspections revealed multiple instances of officials receiving bribes through digital payment platforms. "In the statewide surprise inspection, the vigilance found that 14 officials from various offices of the Mining & Geology Department and local self-government institutions had accepted bribes amounting to Rs 4,69,800 from soil contractors and applicants, exclusively through UPI transactions into their accounts," it said. The department has directed authorities to initiate legal proceedings against those involved, the statement said. Notices will be issued to landowners, and penalties up to five times the applicable royalty will be imposed based on the quantity of illegally removed soil. Warning that illegal soil mining poses a serious threat to the state's ecological balance, vigilance officials said further investigations, including field verification and scrutiny of financial transactions of those involved, will continue. Vigilance Director Manoj Abraham, IPS, urged the public to report corruption through the toll-free number 1064 and other official helplines, the statement added.