CHENNAI: Anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam has accused former highways minister E V Velu, his son E V Kumaran, and govt officials of illegally excavating an estimated 3.48 lakh cubic feet of sand from Malappambadi Lake in Tiruvannamalai and transporting it to Kumaran’s land to level the property for a DMK regional conference.In a complaint to the director of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Thursday, the NGO estimated the value of the excavated material at Rs 8.22 crore, which is a loss to exchequer besides destroying the ecological nature of the waterbody, and sought an FIR and criminal investigation.Arappor, which annexed a 107-page document containing excavation visuals, machinery and property details and field-visit findings, said the excavation took place in Nov and the first week of Dec last year, ahead of the DMK’s northern regional conference on Dec 14, 2025 on a 124-acre property of Kumaran.According to the complaint, nearly 12 acres of the 50-acre lake were excavated, with about eight acres dug to depths of 10 to 23 feet, or three to seven metres, after excluding the top one metre of soil. At Rs 18 per cubic foot, Arappor estimated the material’s value at Rs 8.22 crore. About four acres were used to create a ridge to dump excavated soil. It has sought an independent volumetric assessment by DVAC before the monsoon alters the site.Arappor said excavators and lorries belonging to APU Construction were used for transporting the sand. The company is owned by Tiruvannamalai MP C N Annadurai, according to the complaint.Arappor accused revenue and corporation officials of facilitating the activity and said complaints were sent by farmers on Nov 25, 2025 to the district collector, corporation commissioner, tahsildar, village administrative officer. Yet the collector, K Tharpagaran, and tahsildar Mohanaraman did not act.It cited the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1959, saying extraction from tank beds is subject to specified purposes and a one-metre depth limit. It said the excavation far exceeded this limit and also required environmental clearance, but it wasn’t sought here.The NGO has said action must be taken on violations of the Prevention of Corruption Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules and Tamil Nadu Protection of Tanks and Eviction of Encroachment Act.It has sought an FIR against Velu, Kumaran and others, a volumetric assessment, preservation of revenue, transport, financial and call records, and recovery of the allegedly mined material’s value, restoration costs and penalties.TOI reached out to Velu and Kumaran but both were unavailable for comments. DVAC director C Mageswari said they will look into the complaint.
