Months after a violent gunshot incident shattered the calm of Uguem village in Pernem, Goa, a heavy silence hangs over the community. The event, stemming from illegal sand extraction, has left residents fearful and unwilling to speak openly about the conflict that injured two migrant workers.
From Local Need to Lethal Mafia Operation
What began in 1992 as small-scale, traditional sand mining to meet local needs along the Tiracol river has transformed into a dangerous and uncontrolled business. Driven by high demand and greed, the activity escalated to indiscriminate, mechanized dredging. This shift has caused catastrophic damage to the local ecology.
The relentless extraction has destabilized the riverbed, leading to severe bank erosion and causing numerous trees to collapse. Agricultural fields and low-lying land adjacent to the river are now sinking into the ever-widening channel. There are serious concerns about the stability of the Konkan Railway bridge pillars, which have become dangerously exposed due to the erosion.
The October Violence and Its Aftermath
The illegal trade sparked a vicious turf war between rival groups, which culminated in a shooting on October 27. The incident left two migrant labourers injured. Following this, authorities arrested five individuals, including two constables from the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRBn). All accused are currently out on bail but must strictly comply with court-ordered release conditions.
Because the violence involved local residents, the village—which had previously staged strong protests against indiscriminate sand mining—has now fallen quiet. "Our village is sinking, trees are collapsing. The illegal sand business at Uguem is devouring our riverbanks," shared a village elder, expressing the community's distress anonymously.
A Community Prays for Peace Amid Lingering Fear
Despite the arrests, anxiety persists among the villagers. They are now placing their hopes on the village deity, Shree Devi Mauli, to bring back Uguem's lost tranquility. The environmental and social fabric of the area has been deeply disturbed.
"The Tiracol river channel is getting wider by the day. Our agricultural fields, which were once fiercely preserved by our ancestors, are now getting dissolved into the river. This is very distressing," said another villager. Their fears are backed by a 2019 government study that had warned about the extensive damage to the river bank from rampant sand extraction in Uguem—predictions that are now tragically visible.
Uguem Sarpanch Subodh Mahale acknowledged that illegal sand extraction has currently stopped. However, he warned of looming danger. "There is every possibility of a repeat if the illegality continues and if it involves people from outside the state," he told The Times of India. This tension is not new; a major clash in 2017 had already signaled the growing conflict over the region's valuable sand.
