Indiscriminate sand mining throughout the State, particularly in Dindgul has depleted groundwater sources drastically creating acute shortage of drinking water and water for irrigation, said N. Varadarajan, Central Committee member of Communist Party of India (Marxist). Addressing a meeting near here on Tuesday, he said that agriculture activities had been paralysed in several areas owing to shortage of water for irrigation. The ruling DMK government has been extending its support to illegal sand lifters without minding the interests of farmers. Moreover, it did not check the sale of sand by these gangs to consumers at exorbitant prices, Mr. Varadarajan said. In Palar-Porundhalaru river alone, 96,000 units of sand had been lifted from six spots in 2009-10 and sold at Rs.800 per unit. But they had paid only Rs.313 per unit to the Public Works Department incurring a huge revenue loss to the tune of Rs.7.5 crore to the government, he alleged. Besides, massive lifting of sand was being done on the river bed in Nilakottai, Natham, Iyyampalayam, Kannivadi, Idayakottai, and Sanarpatti. Similar trend prevailed in other parts of the State also. The public along with CPI(M) cadres had captured a lorry with illegally lifted sand at R. Kombai village in January and handed over to the police. They also staged demonstration at Kovilur village condemning the illegal sand mining. Anti-social elements had threatened to kill Dindigul district secretary N. Pandi, he added. If the government failed to check such activities and stop supporting ant-social elements, the people will teach a fitting lesson to the ruling DMK party in the forthcoming assembly election, Mr. Varadarajancautioned. In her special address, Dindigul MLA K. Balabarathi strongly condemned the anti-people policies of the government and appealed to people to unite against the DMK to bring a people-friendly government. State Executive Committee Member P. Sampath and district secretary N. Pandi spoke. Later, CPI(M) cadres raised slogans against the government and its anti-people policies.